Payne tops mixed-up Supercars Taupō qualifying

MATT Payne has taken provisional pole for the first ever Supercars race at Taupō Motorsport Park.

Still with a Top 10 Shootout to come, Payne thrived in wet-to-dry conditions to lead the 15-minute Boost Mobile Qualifying session.

Urgency surrounded the early stages as raindrops fell at the start of qualifying, making the opening minutes potentially decisive.

That did not prove the case, with the weather staying dry enough for slick tyres throughout.

Lap times dropped from 90-plus seconds down to Payne’s 1:27.9684s at the end – still almost 1.5s off Chaz Mostert’s practice benchmark yesterday.

There was again a chunk of blue at the top of the timesheets, with Dick Johnson Racing’s Anton De Pasquale and Will Davison second and fourth, split by Chaz Mostert.

Cameron Hill was best of the Chevrolets in fifth, ahead of Kiwi rookie Ryan Wood.

Will Brown hung onto a Shootout slot despite pitting late, with Cam Waters, Andre Heimgartner and Tim Slade rounding out the 10.

There were several big names to miss the cut, including championship contender Broc Feeney (13th) after a tough Friday and returning star Brodie Kostecki (15th).

The news was even worse for Richie Stanaway and Nick Percat, who could not replicate their younger teammates’ efforts and will line up on the back row of the grid. A spin was the downfall of the latter, who won the most recent race at Albert Park.

The aforementioned top 10 will now prepare for a Shootout starting 10am AEST (12pm local).

The other 14 drivers will turn their attention to this afternoon’s 60-lap race, scheduled to get underway at 1:05pm AEST (3:05pm local).

RESULTS: Qualifying for Race 1, 2024 ITM TaupōSuper400