The 2025 Repco Bathurst 1000, a race defined by biblical rain, seven Safety Cars, and last-second chaos, delivered one of the most unpredictable and unforgettable victories in recent memory at Mount Panorama, drawing comparisons to the legendary 2014 classic. When the dust settled, the unlikely duo of 23-year-old Kiwi Matt Payne and Great race legend Garth Tander delivered Penrite Racing its first Bathurst win and secured Ford its first victory since 2019.
Starting from a lowly 18th position, Payne and Tander navigated a day that decimated the field, proving that sheer survival was half the battle.
The 1000-kilometer classic was perpetually stalled by wet weather and seven BP Pulse Safety Car interventions. For many race favorites, the day was a catalogue of disasters. Frontrunners like Brodie Kostecki/Todd Hazelwood were plagued by mechanical dramas and incidents. Will Brown and Broc Feeney both crashed. Engine dramas cruelled Chaz Mostert/Fabian Coulthard and Ryan Wood/Jayden Ojeda.
Ryan Wood, in particular, suffered a heart-wrenching loss. After clearing away at the head of the field alongside James Golding and Payne, Wood, the 21-year-old Kiwi, was fighting for the lead when he clouted the wall at The Cutting. While he regained the lead briefly following a mistake by Golding, his Ford Mustang slowed just one lap into the sixth Safety Car period due to a late engine issue, wiping the #2 car out of contention within the final 30 laps.
The Unlikely Contenders Emerge
With the heavy hitters gone, the door opened for stunning upsets, primarily threatened by Erebus Motorsport (Cooper Murray/David Russell) and PremiAir Racing (James Golding).
As the final laps approached, the intensity was unbearable. With 21 laps remaining, the top three were Golding, Payne, and Murray. Murray quickly rounded up Payne and then dived past Golding into Griffins Bend to take the lead.
The race hinged entirely on one chaotic final sequence of laps. With just nine to go, Payne attacked Murray, but sliding out of control, surfed through the grass at The Chase. Golding crept into second, smelled victory.
The defining moment came on Lap 157. Golding made a last-ditch move on Murray, sending the Erebus car wide at Griffins Bend. The Stewards wasted no time, hitting Golding with a five-second penalty. Critically, this clash allowed Payne to slip through and assume the lead.
The Final Sprint to the Line
Despite the penalty, Golding crossed the line first, setting up an almighty final lap confrontation. Payne, however, had to fend off a ferocious attack from former teammate David Reynolds, who challenged him side-by-side out of The Cutting.
Payne held firm, claiming the victory by an official margin of 0.958 seconds (or 0.9s). David Reynolds and Lee Holdsworth secured a remarkable runner-up finish, while the penalized Golding and Russell were reclassified third.
“It’s absolutely insane that last stint in the wet when I got back in the car, it felt like forever,” an ecstatic Matt Payne stated in Pirtek Victory Lane. He admitted that he had run out of tyres toward the end, but celebrated the hard work of his team.
The victory also marked a historical milestone for Garth Tander, who claimed his sixth Bathurst victory, drawing him level with legends Mark Skaife and Larry Perkins. Only Peter Brock, Jim Richards, and Craig Lowndes have more Bathurst wins than Tander. Payne becomes the 67th driver to have won the Bathurst 1000, and the victory also secured him the 2025 Ryco Enduro Cup.
It’s now two weeks until the Finals kick off on the streets of the Gold Coast.
