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Fuel dramas hurt Kostecki as Payne wins Perth Supercars
Justin Chadwick, AAP • August 2nd, 2026 11:00 pm
Supercars championship leader Matt Payne reigned in Perth with two wins from the three races | Photo: Mark Horsburgh/AAP
Hometown hero Brodie Kostecki has endured another frustrating race as championship leader Matt Payne overcame a worrying tyre issue to hold off Broc Feeney in an epic Supercars showdown in Perth.
Feeney started from pole in Sunday's 200km race at Wanneroo Raceway, but Payne's decision to take his second pit stop earlier than his great rival paid massive dividends.
Although Feeney emerged from his second pit stop a lap later still in front, a fast-moving Payne was able to squeeze past the Triple Eight star.
The two cars banged wheels as Payne made his passing move, and it resulted in Payne's left rear tyre coming slightly off the rim.
Payne was able to nurse his car through the last 28 laps, with runner-up Feeney revealing after the race that one of his rear tyres had also come slightly off the rim due to the minor collision.
"We banged wheels, and something just felt off. The car was so loose," Payne said.
"It was so hard to drive. The car was in complete opposite balance to what it was for the first and second stints.
"Looking at the replay, it's pretty amazing that it stayed on, considering the amount it was actually hanging off the rims.
"I'm just grateful to be standing here and not spun out somewhere down the track."
The result put Payne, who won two of the three races in Perth, 118 points clear of second-placed Feeney on the championship table.
"We're in a great position, I couldn't have asked to be in a better spot. But the pressure's on still," Payne said.
Anton De Pasquale finished third to round out the podium, his second of the weekend.
Cam Waters was fourth, while Payne's teammate Kai Allen stormed from 23rd on the grid to land fifth spot.
Feeney was devastated to miss out on victory in Sunday's race, especially after starting from pole.
But he was proud of how his Triple Eight team had regained their mojo in Perth, with Feeney winning race two on Saturday before finishing runner-up to Payne on Sunday.
Broc Feeney showed his campaign is back on track in Perth | Photo: Supercars
The podium finishes snapped a rare seven-race streak without a top-three finish for the Triple Eight team - something that hadn't happened since they went eight consecutive races without a podium in 2006.
"I'm gutted. I came that close to winning the race," Feeney said.
"But I'm proud of the effort. We've been nowhere for a couple of rounds. To be in the fight today was awesome, but I'm reeling."
West Australian Kostecki, who qualified fourth, had his Sunday victory hopes squashed early when his team couldn't get enough fuel into his car due to a faulty rig during his first pit stop.
It meant Kostecki needed to do three pit stops instead of two for the race, and his frustrations grew during his second stop when the same problem reared its ugly head again - forcing him to stay pitted for about 10 seconds longer than normal before they were final able to pump more fuel in.
Kostecki fought back from those setbacks to finish a respectable 12th as he sits fourth in the championship.
But all in all he had a disastrous weekend in Perth, with Kostecki finishing dead last in Saturday's opening race after being nudged into the gravel trap, before finishing sixth in race two.
Not much went right for Brodie Kostecki in his hometown event | Photo: Dan Himbrechts/AAP
"It looks like we've had a shocker on paper, which we did," Kostecki said.
"This was probably out first really bad round for us (in terms of results).
"But the pace was there all weekend, so it was just a missed opportunity. We should have been fighting for second spot."
Kostecki wasn't the only one to be left frustrated in Sunday's race.
Ryan Wood qualified eighth, but his race was over before it even started due to an air box issue.
Top 10 Results
1. Matt Payne, 2. Broc Feeney, 3. Anton De Pasquale, 4. Cam Waters, 5. Kai Allen, 6. Chaz Mostert, 7. Aaron Cameron, 8. Jayden Ojeda, 9. David Reynolds, 10. Thomas Randle.
Why Kiwi drivers excel in motorsport | Sport Nation
