In one of the most chaotic, wet, and dramatic finishes in the 67-year history of ‘The Great Race,’ the Penrite Racing Ford Mustang of Matt Payne and Garth Tander has emerged victorious at the 2025 Repco Bathurst 1000.
The victory came after a sensational last-lap penalty to the on-track leader, bringing an electrifying conclusion to a gruelling, seven-hour, 161-lap endurance epic that featured torrential rain, multiple crashes, and seven Safety Car periods.
The Decisive Moment
New Zealander Matt Payne, the 23-year-old rising star, crossed the finish line in second place, mere car lengths behind James Golding’s PremiAir Racing Camaro.
However, Golding and co-driver David Russell were carrying a five-second time penalty assessed just four laps earlier for contact with then-leader Cooper Murray, which sent Murray spinning off the track.
The time penalty was enough to elevate the #100 Ford Mustang of Payne and veteran co-driver Tander to the top step of the podium, securing Payne’s maiden Bathurst 1000 win and Tander’s incredible sixth triumph, joining Mark Skaife and Larry Perkins as a six-time winner.
“A win’s a win, we’ll take it,” a relieved Payne said post-race, having successfully kept the penalty-laden Golding within the critical five-second gap over the closing laps.
Podium Finishers
| Position | Drivers | Team | Car | Time Gap |
| 1 | Matt Payne / Garth Tander | Penrite Racing | Ford Mustang | 6:52:14.938 |
| 2 | David Reynolds / Lee Holdsworth | TRADIE Energy | Chevrolet Camaro | |
| 3 | James Golding / David Russell | PremiAir Racing | Chevrolet Camaro |
Chaos on the Mountain
The unpredictable weather played a major role, with rain turning the famous circuit into a treacherous gauntlet. The race became a story of survival, with multiple front-running contenders facing disaster:
- Broc Feeney/Jamie Whincup (Red Bull Ampol Racing) saw their charge for victory end when Feeney crashed the #88 Camaro into the tyre wall at Forrest’s Elbow on lap 124, having struggled on cold wet tyres.
- Defending champion Brodie Kostecki (Dick Johnson Racing) endured a horror day of electrical drama, a slow pit stop, and a drive-through penalty for running into the back of Kai Allen, ultimately ending his repeat bid.
- Young Kiwi Ryan Wood had dominated the wet mid-section of the race, building a commanding lead, but his hopes were crushed by a late-race engine failure, forcing his retirement with less than 30 laps remaining.
- Multiple Safety Car periods in the final stages, including one for Richie Stanaway’s crash at The Cutting, kept the field bunched, setting the stage for the dramatic sprint to the finish.
The improbable victory for Payne and Tander, who started 18th on the grid, marks the first Ford win at Bathurst since 2019 and will forever be remembered as one of the most hard-fought and controversial chapters in the history of the legendary event.
