- 2023 winner quits Supercars Championship
- He has left the grill open in Bathurst
- The young New Zealand star has made his first progress
Young Supercars star Matt Payne is convinced he is not stressed about turning his provisional Bathurst 1000 pole into something real.
Following the advice of five-time Bathurst winner and co-driver Garth Tander, the prodigious Grove Racing driver Payne swept the field on Friday by six-thousandths of a second to top the qualifying session at Mount Panorama.
He will have the chance to claim the coveted front row position when he emerges as the last driver in the top 10 shootout at 5:05pm (AEDT) on Saturday.
But the 22-year-old New Zealander will have to fend off fellow prodigy Broc Feeney, championship leader Will Brown, two-time Bathurst winner Chaz Mostert and a red-hot Cam Waters for pole.
Payne is confident he can do just that.
The young New Zealand driver Matt Payne follows in the footsteps of Shane van Gisbergen
Veteran co-driver Garth Tander, 22, took provisional pole at Bathurst.
“We showed we could make the turn today and we’ll all find some time overnight,” Payne said.
‘It’s about who does the best lap in the session, so I don’t think (winning provisional pole) will change anything.
“I’m just going to go out and do my procedure and see what comes out.”
A partnership with the experienced Tander has helped the rising star stay calm before the big race.
“We were talking throughout the (qualifying) session and he gave me a couple of tips,” Payne said.
“It’s been good to have it this weekend. We’ve come here with a lot of preparation for this race.”
With two practice sessions scheduled before the shootout, the Triple Eight team has turned its attention to a vibration issue with Feeney’s third-place Chevrolet Camaro.
It will be a close race at The Mountain in 2024 with a host of young drivers looking to make a name for themselves.
Feeney’s team boss and co-driver, Jamie Whincup, suspects an issue with the car’s bodywork.
‘We have to find him. It’s a long day, six-and-a-half hours of vibrations,” said Whincup, a four-time Bathurst winner and seven-time Supercars champion.
“It’s a low harmonic, so it must be bodywork.”
Feeney, whose last visit to the mountain ended in heartbreak, insists that failing to take provisional pole will not prevent him from securing a front row spot.
The 21-year-old was left in tears last year after experiencing gearbox problems on lap 137 when he and Whincup came second before finishing 23rd.
“All of us are going to try it tomorrow afternoon,” Feeney said.
‘Five minutes a day are not going to change our lives. “Everything will depend on who makes a good lap.”
BATHURST 1000 PROVISIONAL QUALIFICATION
- Matt Payne (Grove Racing)
- Cam Waters (Tickford Racing)
- Broc Feeney (Triple Eight Career Engineering)
- Brodie Kostecki (Erebus Motorsport)
- Will Brown (Triple Eight Racing Engineering)
- Chaz Mostert (Walkinshaw Andretti United)
- André Heimgartner (Brad Jones Racing)
- Jack Le Brocq (Erebus Motorsport)
- Anton De Pasquale (Dick Johnson Racing)
- Richie Stanaway (Grove Racing).
