Kostecki claims his fifth victory of the Season in Race 11 of the 2026 ITM Christchurch Super 440. Kai Allen finished just behind the former champion, while Ryan Wood secured another podium in New Zealand to finish third.
So far this Weekend…
Matt Payne claimed a historic pole position in Christchurch, edging out a charging Brodie Kostecki. Behind them, it was Ryan Wood who was qualified on the second row, ahead of Penrite’s Kai Allen.
While in Race 10, Kai Allen has picked up his maiden Supercars victory. In one of the closest finishes of the season, Brodie Kostecki had to settle for second, while Ryan Wood claimed third.
In Qualifying, Brodie Kostecki and Ryan Wood both secured pole positions in Race 11 and 12. Matt Payne snagged a pair of front rows for both races, while Aaron Cameron qualified third for Race 11.
Kostecki quick off the line.
Kostecki made the perfect start from the front row and quickly asserted control of Race 11. However, the chaos unfolded behind him. Payne was bogged down with wheelspin at the start, opening the door for teammate Allen to charge ahead. Wood was the fastest starter, charging from sixth to third by the first corner. Feeney also capitalised, muscling past Payne early as the Penrite driver slipped down the order.
Further back, early contact triggered drama, with Cameron Hill and Andre Heimgartner both suffering race-ending steering damage following separate incidents. Amid the chaos, Payne began to recover, climbing back into contention as the race settled.
A small mistake from Kostecki on Lap 9 brought Allen into play, setting up a tense strategic fight, similar to that of Race 10. Both drivers pitted together on Lap 16, but a slower stop for Kostecki, and four fresh tyres for Allen shifted the momentum towards Penrite. Armed with better tyres, Allen closed rapidly and began to challenge the former Champion.
Payne devastated at Home
While the leaders battled, Matt Payne emerged as a genuine threat. His alternate strategy, running long in the opening stint allowed him to come out close to the front pack. However, the hometown hero’s race fell apart after his stop. His right rear wheel detach shortly after rejoining, forcing an unscheduled return.
He eventually finished 19th, his earlier pace underlined by setting the fastest lap of the race. The pit lane proved treacherous elsewhere, with James Golding hitting the tyre barrier on entry and narrowly avoiding a collision with Macauley Jones. On track, the midfield delivered plenty of action, highlighted by Anton De Pasquale fending off Cam Waters for sixth, while Will Brown chased down Ryan Wood in the closing laps but couldn’t quite make a move stick.
Despite the late pressure from Allen, Kostecki remained composed to secure victory by just over half a second. Wood held on to second ahead of Brown, with Feeney finishing fifth. De Pasquale, Waters, Jayden Ojeda, and Aaron Cameron followed, while Zach Bates finished in the top 10 for the first time in his career.
Final Supercars Race 11 classification and results from Christchurch
- Kostecki
- Allen
- Wood
- Brown
- Feeney
- De Pasquale
- Waters
- Ojeda
- Cameron
- Bates
- Gray
- Le Brocq
- Mostert
- Randle
- Golding
- Murray
- Stewart
- Jones
- Payne
- Fraser
- Reynolds
- Walls
- Heimgartner
- Hill
