Devastated Wood takes stock after 'really gutting' JR Trophy agony

Yet again, Ryan Wood has been left to wonder what could've been.

With seven laps to go, the young Kiwi was in the box seat to claim an emotional Jason Richards Memorial Trophy when seemingly out of nowhere, the #2 Toyota pulled to the inside of the pit straight.

Onboard replays confirmed that the ghosts of 2025 had come back to haunt the Wellingtonian. The Toyota V8 had cried enough.

Painfully, Wood was left to sit in the infield for what turned out to be a three lap dash to the line, which saw Matt Payne win, and Chaz Mostert fire Brodie Kostecki into a wild ride through the infield.

Whilst his childhood friend Matt Payne romped home to lead Penrite Racing's first ever 1-2 finish, Wood saw himself slip from fourth to sixth in the points, but more importantly the chance to win the trophy honouring one of his idols.

In the face of all of that, the 22-year-old was stoic post-race, praising his Walkinshaw TWG Racing team who have worked tirelessly to develop the Toyota GR Supra into a threatening package so early in the season.

"It's a real bitter pill to swallow, but I'm super proud of every individual in our team," said a deflated Wood on broadcast.

"Our group of guys and girls have worked so hard, and we've had a great two weeks here in New Zealand. The way it ended is not what we wanted.

"It's motorsport sometimes. We can build from this, and learn. My race wasn't the cleanest of races, I made a few mistakes, and it's just about being better in those moments.

"I've got work to do myself, but like I said, super proud of my team. Proud to represent all the brands that we've got on the car, the Mobil 1 Truck Assist Supra has been super fast.

"It's just gutting, it's really gutting. Jason is someone that I looked up to as a little kid, and I would've loved to have held that trophy today, but hopefully we get that opportunity again one day."

It's the latest in a series of mechanical heartbreakers for the Kiwi. 2025 saw a suspension failure in Perth, an engine drama in Bathurst, and a fuel system failure on the Gold Coast rob the Kiwi of three potential race wins.

However, Wood displayed a maturity beyond his years and experience levels to acknowledge the team also needed to be picked up just as much as he did.

"It's just about being human at the end of the day, everyone's working their backsides off. They are humans as well, they are just as disappointed as I am," Wood said.

"I'm so lucky to be a part of this group, and we'll use this pain to make sure we're stronger next time.

"At the end of the day, I'm so proud and we'll just hold our heads high.

"Massive congrats to Broc and his team for getting the job done, and we'll try and be better next time."

Wood dropped from fourth to sixth in the championship with the DNF.