Supercars: Matt looks to end qualifying Payne

The results are brilliant, but Penrite Racing’s Matt Payne knows he’s putting too much pressure on his team with poor qualifying and wants to rectify that at this weekend’s Tasmania SuperSprint.

Penrite Racing's Matt Payne is looking to continue his strong form at Symmons Plains this weekend. Picture: Mark Horsburgh/Supercars

He’s one of the form drivers in Supercars, but Matt Payne has put pressure on himself to improve his qualifying performances and avoid “making our job harder” in this weekend’s Tasmania SuperSprint.

At a small Symmons Plains track where qualifying is critical, the Penrite Racing star knows he must lift in that area to make life easier come race time.

Payne was seventh-fastest in qualifying for the first race of the most recent round, the Sydney SuperNight, before finishing second in the race, before converting 11th in qualifying into fourth in the second showdown.

It was a similar scenario in the round before at Townsville, where he converted ninth and eighth qualifying results into fourth place and a race victory.

The 21-year-old Kiwi is currently fifth in the standings and looking to bridge the gap on series leader Will Brown in the final sprint round of the season.

“The racing side of things were really good (at Sydney), we came forward in both races a lot of psoitons and the team did a fantastic job with strategy,” Payne said.

“I just need to work on qualifying. I’m still not maximising it and making a lot of mistakes, which is making our job harder in racing.

“Even on Saturday (second in first race at Sydney), if I finished the lap and started the front two rows, we would have had a much better chance of winning the race.”

Payne said the team’s ability to prove they can find great race pace using different strategies had given them confidence for the back end of the campaign.

Matt Payne in action. Picture: Mark Horsburgh/Supercars

“Our race pace has been really good the last couple of rounds. We seem to have really clicked with the tyre and making it last if we need to, and getting speed out of it if we need to,” he said.

“It’s good to have those two options where it can open the strategy window for us. The three-stopper at Townsville was very effective, and the one-stopper here (Sydney) was a completely different scenario and the team can still do it.”

Payne said Symmons Plains presents a unique challenge for the field.

“Tassie’s a difficult track, the times are so close and you need everything you can get,” he said.

“It’s going to be intense, we didn’t go particularly well there last year so we’ll be looking for redemption.

“There’s probably only three corners you need to get right, but all three corners are basically what makes the track and they’re completely different in terms of style.

“The set up for the car is a lot different to anywhere else we go because it’s pretty much a drag strip on the back straight, then you’ve got the tightest tip on the calendar and turn one is all bumpy.

“It’s super diverse and difficult to find the right set up for the car there, but I really enjoy driving it.

“I really enjoy Tassie itself. I like Launceston, which is really cool and has great scenery. I want to go down there for a holiday and get around a bit more.”

The Supercars arrived in Tasmania on Wednesday for the first-ever street party at Hobart.

Fans also have the chance to meet all 24 drivers at ‘SuperFest’ at Launceston’s National Automobile Museum of Tasmania from 3-6pm on Thursday, where drivers will be signing autographs.

SUPERCARS STANDINGS

1746 - Will Brown (Red Bull Ampol Racing)

1641 - Chaz Mostert (Mobil1 Optus Racing)

1593 - Broc Feeney (Red Bull Ampol Racing)

1360 - Cam Waters (Monster Castrol Racing)

1323 - Matt Payne (Penrite Racing)