Grove on top of the world
By Thomas Miles
Date posted: 12 October 2025
Penrite Racing owner Stephen Grove was an extremely proud man to see his team conquer the mountain in biblical conditions and circumstances.
Against the odds, Matt Payne and Garth Tander came from the third-lowest grid position to win one of the great Bathurst 1000s.
To boost the Grove Racing celebrations, rookie Kai Allen also overcame significant setbacks to lock in a ticket to the Finals.
“The emotions are unbelievable,” Grove told Auto Action.
“For Matt and Garth to win from 18th in a great race that was edge of your seat stuff. The boys drove so well.
“This is what we get out of bed every morning for and when we were building the team this is what we wanted to achieve.
“We were very confident the wins would come and just had to keep working hard at it.
“Our goal is to win the driver’s and team’s championship and Bathurst.
“We have ticked the Bathurst box and now hopefully the championship.”
To make the victory possible, Payne produced a drive as good as the very best the mountain has seen.
As late as Lap 109 he was down in seventh and once he had a sniff, there was no stopping him.
Having forced his way into the top three, the seas parted for the Kiwi when the Camaros of Cooper Murray and James Golding tripped over each other at Griffin’s Bend.
Before and after that, Payne experienced potentially race-ending moments, but his superb car control in docile conditions ensured the #100 Mustang stayed straight and took a win for the ages.
“If you look at the in-car video you can see how soft his hands are,” Grove said of Payne.
“He took the pressure really well and never gave up. That is a true champion.”
Image: Mark Horsburgh
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