Payne claims final Supercars race as anguish for Wood

Kiwi Matt Payne has claimed back-to-back Supercars wins.  

Payne won the final race at the Christchurch Super 440.  

But it was heartbreak for Wellington-born Ryan Wood. Wood was in the box seat to win the coveted Jason Richards Memorial Trophy.

But with a handful of laps remaining, Wood's GR Supra ground to a halt resulting in a DNF.

Wood said after the race, "it was a bitter pill to swallow" but he was proud of the team.  

Wood's failure left the door open for Australian Broc Feeney to claim the JR Trophy for scoring the most points this weekend and at Taupō last weekend.  

Payne was followed home by his team-mate Kai Allen in a Penrite Racing 1-2, with Feeney finishing third. 

The third place was also enough for Feeney to reclaim the championship lead by 23 points ahead of Brodie Kostecki. 

Prior to the race starting, Supercars announced a crowd figure of 65,806 attendees across the three days.  

Said Supercars chair and interim chief executive Barclay Nettlefold, "the passion, devotion and knowledge of the fans here at Ruapuna has blown us away".

"A South Island race has been a long time coming and we thank everyone who came here over these special three days for bringing it to life.

"We’re working closely with our hosts, the Canterbury Car Club, to make this experience even bigger and better next year."