Taupō Super 440 and Christchurch Super 440: The double header with chaos ranging from weather to drivers.

Taupō:

Taupō was our first stop of the New Zealand double header for the Supercars season. But with weather drama on the way just off the North Island, concerns for the event loomed. Halfway through the weekend due to cyclone Vaianu, we confirmed the Sunday race would not take place in Taupō and instead start the Christchurch race weekend.

So, with only two races in Taupō, we expected drama. Race 8 ensured that Brodie Kostecki was able to continue his lead in the championship as well as the Jason Richards trophy too. With an impressive race driven by Kostecki for P1, close behind was Will Brown finishing P2 and Ryan Wood managing a P3 result on home soil.

The start of Race 8; the first of 2 in Taupō

Broc Feeney was able to secure a top 4 finish in P4, although struggling for some pace in the first race and unfortunately being down 2 positions from the qualifying pace too. Like Feeney was Matt Payne who did also drive an incredible race and securing P5.

The CoolDrive Racing car of James Golding held strong in the top 10, with a solid drive and managing P6 with an angry champion on his tail of Chaz Mostert who ended up finishing in P7.

The Chevrolet Camaros had a decent start to the double header too, with 3 of their cars in the top 10. Anton De Pasquale was able to finish in P8, moving up about 7 positions over the span of the race. Jack Le Brocq moved up 2 positions for P8 and David Reynolds managed to move up 6 positions for P10.

Race 9 was the final race in Taupō with the concerns surrounding Cyclone Vaianu increasing as it was just off the coast, so Supercars called the remainder of the weekend off, with Saturday having a shorter race as well as the main event.

Race 9 was impressive, especially for a young Kiwi driver being able to win on his home turf. Ryan Wood had a near perfect drive to maintain his P1 spot for the race. He was followed very closely by a very determined Broc Feeney who eventually finished P2. Woods teammate Chaz Mostert played the team game during the race, providing a decent gap for Wood to maintain the win, whilst also securing P3 for Mostert.

An impressive maiden Toyota Win and Podium: Ryan Wood, Broc Feeney, Chaz Mostert.

Will Brown finished the race in P4, just on the tail of Mostert, which was a very close battle to watch. Matt Payne knows a thing or two with another top 5 finish securing P5 for himself and this being just ahead of Brodie Kostecki as well who finished P6.

James Golding so far has had a season worth remembering. Another top 10 finish for him in Taupō was worth the watch. Although down 2 positions from his starting grid spot, he still managed a great race result for himself and the team. Kai Allen who had a poor start to the weekend, managed to bring it back and ensure a P8 spot for himself, securing vital points in the championship fight.

Cam Waters like Allen was also a name we hadn’t yet heard about in Taupō, but he managed to work through the field to secure P9. Whilst Anton De Pasquale had a tough race, losing 3 positions on track and only managing P10, still a worthy spot, but difficult given the pace with that car.

Christchurch:

Christchurch was our second stop in New Zealand, a first for the city and a very exciting opportunity. Race 10 was intended to be 500 race starts for David Reynolds, but due to a crash almost off the start/finish line, he would go on to finish the race in the garage with very little he could do.

An incident at the start of Race 10 would end David Reynolds 500th race start

Race 10 was the race missed the previous weekend and would be a memorable race for one specific driver: Kai Allen. Kai Allen was finally able to secure a race win for himself, a first of many. Driving an impressive race, with Brodie Kostecki following closely behind, often a scary sight for many drivers but Allen was able to maintain his cool and secure that win. Kostecki, despite all his efforts could only secure P2, still a worthy result for a driver like him.

Ryan Wood again being able to step onto another podium in New Zealand, finishing race 10 in P3. Just behind him, was another fellow Kiwi, Matt Payne who showed he is ready to compete for a championship and become one of the big contenders. He managed to finish in P4, just ahead of Anton De Pasquale in P5.

James Golding had another weekend of solid results, securing a P6 result. Golding has shown great potential for his new team since the start of the season and will show to be a big contender this season, looking to improve and better himself. Cam Waters had a solid race, moving up 7 positions to P7, an impressive result given we weren’t sure of the track and only had a single practice session, before qualifying. Chaz Mostert hasn’t had the best start to a season as he would like, but he is starting to show what he can do. He managed another top 10 showing, up 2 positions to finish P8.

P9 was a name we haven’t heard much about but bring in the rookie. Zach Bates showed what the rookies can get up to. Being one of the younger drivers, it can be a tough showing but to secure a top 10 result is rather impressive. In P10 was Broc Feeney who did unfortunately lose a spot from his starting spot but still managed a solid drive.

Race 11 continued to show why Brodie Kostecki is one of the biggest competitors for the championship this year. He managed another great drive securing the win, ahead of Kai Allen in P2 who 2 spots and Ryan Wood in P3 was up, who was up 3 spots. The young driver like Allen and Wood are also showing huge potential for future races and championship titles.

A close battle between Brodie Kostecki and Kai Allen.

Will Brown was another big mover, up 3 positions to finish in P4 just ahead of his own teammate Broc Feeney who both started and finished in P5. This duo is impressive, although the start of the season hasn’t shown their best. Yet. With the switch to Mustang, it most likely comes with their own pros and cons, but they will be back and with plenty to give.

Anton De Pasquale has shown nothing but positives in the new season. There is a high level of consistency that we are beginning to see from this driver, with another P6 result for him in race 11. De Pasquale was able to do this with the pace as well as the impressive 11 positions up from his starting grid spot. Cam waters were just behind him, managing a P7 result. This may not be where Waters was late last year, but there appears to be some issues and concerns for this season and the team, with some difficulties all around.

Jayden Ojeda showed a solid result for PremiAir, securing P8, just ahead of the Liqui Moly Blahst of Aaron Cameron who has had his own season of positives and negatives. The P9 for Cameron was a good result, given the struggles during some of the races so far this season. Finally rounding out the top 10 was Zach Bates again with another top 10 finish.

Race 12 was one to remember for Kiwi Matt Payne. The first win on home soil, similar to Ryan Wood. It must always be memorable when winning in your home state and for Matt Payne it absolutely was. He was able to pull a fair gap to secure the win ahead of P2s Broc Feeney and P3s James Golding. Feeney and Golding both had impressive results as they were able to move up 4 positions each to secure that podium result.

Another strong race weekend secures not one, but two race wins for Matt Payne.

Ryan Wood is showing that when given the opportunity and no car faults, he can be consistent. He managed a P4 spot, increasing his lead in the JR Trophy. Brodie Kostecki was one of Woods biggest competitors over the weekends in New Zealand, and Kostecki managed to finish just behind in P5.

Anton De Pasquale is another consistent driver, with a P6 once again grabbing him some vital points in the main championship, to keep himself looking competitive. Kai Allen did lose 3 positions unfortunately but was still able to keep in the top 10, finishing P7.

Cam Waters had a somewhat quiet race, finishing in P8, he was able to make up 4 positions for that result. Jack Le Brocq has been a real underdog in the past but is showing some decent pace so far this season. An impressive result of a P9, continues those results for the season. Finally, Shell V-Power was able to get a double points result as Rylan Gray took out the P10 slot, just ahead of Jayden Ojeda. Gray so far has proven he can be a big name in the comp in due time, and we saw that in previous years from him too.

It was finally time for the main event. Race 13. For one driver this was the moment and that would be Matt Payne as he once again secured another win in New Zealand. It was also a big moment as Kai Allen secured P2, which ensured a 1-2 finish for the Penrite Racing team. P3 went to Broc Feeney as he finished the double header out strong as well as securing the Jason Richards Trophy too.

Matt Payne had a very successful weekend in Christchurch.

James Golding had a strong end to the weekend too, with a P4 result for him. This should provide a big boost of confidence for both himself and his team, as they have both been able to create a coordinated and strong team. Cam Waters had his best result of the weekend with a P5 finish and just behind him was Will Brown in P6. Although most likely not having the start to the season that he would’ve liked, he has a long way to go.

The Camaros had a strong finish as Jack Le Brocq finished in P7, Cooper Murray finished in P9 and Declan Fraser made an appearance in the top 10, finishing P10. Sandwiched between the Camaros was the other New Zealander on the grid, Andre Heimgartner. He drove a quiet but impressive race, having gained 12 positions from his starting spot, and a top 10 finish on home soil too, ultimately finishing P8.

For some drivers though, race 13 was not meant to be. Ryan Wood was forced to DNF due to an engine issue. This result would also cost him the JR Trophy. Another incident worth noting, is between Chaz Mostert and Brodie Kostecki, which cost both track positions. In an angry heat of the moment situation, Mostert runs Kostecki wide and off track, causing him to lose track position, dropping to P18, whilst a 30 second penalty to Mostert, ensured he only managed P16.

A difficult end to race 13 for Kostecki and Mostert.