Fords dominate as Payne claims opening Ipswich pole
Matthew Payne secured pole position for the Ipswich Super440 race, setting a new lap record at Queensland Raceway. Ford drivers dominated the qualifying session, occupying eight of the top ten spots.
Why it matters
This event is a significant milestone in the Repco Supercars Championship, highlighting the competitive landscape between major automotive manufacturers in Australian motorsport.
It’s his sixth pole position of the Repco Supercars Championship season.
Payne’s lap, a 1:08.0105s, reset the practice/qualifying lap record for Supercars in the Gen3 era at Queensland Raceway.
“We felt okay in the first one, probably weren’t quite where we wanted to be and then just put it all together and knew there was a little bit to find.
“Awesome to come up to QR and have a crack, and for us Melbourne teams it’s good to get one up on the other guys.
“I was pretty amped after that one. I knew we had to dig deep, especially these guys down here, Red Bull and Broc (Feeney) and everyone have been pushing us real hard, especially this weekend.
“I had to find a bit overnight. Really pumped to come out here with P1 and put ourselves in a good spot for the first race.
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