The Repco Supercars held races 8 and 9 on Saturday at Taupō International Motorsport Park and Events Centre for the ITM Taupō Super 440 weekend in Taupō, New Zealand.
Penrite Racing driver Matthew Payne won the pole for the eighth race, while Monster Castrol Racing driver Cameron Waters started second. Payne held off Waters to keep the lead heading into Turn 1. On the tenth lap, Macauley Jones had a mechanical issue and pulled off the racetrack triggering a safety car.
Everyone went to pit road during the safety car and Payne came away with the lead. He led all 37 laps winning the race by 4.1020 seconds over Cam Waters. It was his first win of the season and became the fifth Kiwi to win at Taupō.
The rest of the top ten finishers were Ryan Wood third, Anton De Pasquale fourth, Will Brown fifth, Jack Le Brocq sixth, Kai Allen seventh, Andre Heimgartner eighth, James Golding ninth, and Will Davison tenth.
In Race 9, Dick Johnson Racing driver Brodie Kostecki won the pole with Chaz Mostert starting second. Kostecki spun the tires on the start, and Mostert blew by him for the lead. Broc Feeney challenged him for second place but Kostecki held him off to retain the position.
Mostert led 18 laps until Kostecki caught him and passed for the lead at Turn 5, and both drivers went to pit road a lap later. Kostecki slid into the barriers at pit entry, and Mostert took advantage leaving pit road with the lead.
Kostecki challenged Mostert for the lead with 16 laps to go but Mostert held on to the lead. With 10 laps to go, Mostert’s lead grew to 2.2 seconds. A lap later, Kostecki made an error and Will Davison took the second spot away. Upfront, Mostert won race nine by 6.4763 seconds over Will Davison for his first win of the season.
The rest of the top ten finishers were Brodie Kostecki third, Matthew Payne fourth, Broc Feeney fifth, Thomas Randle sixth, Will Brown seventh, Andre Heimgartner eighth, Ryan Wood ninth, and Kai Allen tenth.
The ITM Taupō Super 440 concludes on Sunday. In the United States, the Sunday race begins at 5:25 pm on Saturday on YouTube.
