Matt Payne and Garth Tander win 2025 Bathurst 1000, despite Multiple safety cars as rain falls.

Payne and Tander Deliver Ford a Bathurst 1000 Masterclass in Wild, Rain-Soaked Thriller

Matt Payne and Garth Tander have handed Ford its first Bathurst 1000 victory since 2019, conquering chaos, rain, and relentless Safety Cars in a breathtaking finish that will go down among the Mount Panorama greats.

Starting all the way back in 18th, the Grove Racing duo weathered the storm — literally and figuratively — as others faltered in treacherous conditions. After hours of tension and seven Safety Car interruptions, the race erupted into a stunning late duel that saw Payne seize control when James Golding and Cooper Murray collided in dramatic fashion.

Golding initially crossed the line first for PremiAir Racing after a desperate final-lap lunge, but a five-second penalty for contact with Murray handed Payne and Tander a deserved and emotional triumph. David Reynolds and Lee Holdsworth took second just 0.9 seconds behind, while Golding and David Russell were reclassified third.

For 48-year-old Tander, it marked a sixth Bathurst crown, drawing him level with legends Mark Skaife and Larry Perkins. “It’s absolutely insane,” Payne said after the win. “That last stint in the wet felt like forever — the car was sliding everywhere, and I was just hanging on. But to give Ford and the team this result means everything.”

The weather-struck epic claimed a string of high-profile victims, including Brodie Kostecki, Cam Waters, Broc Feeney, Will Brown, Chaz Mostert, and Ryan Wood, all sidelined by crashes or mechanical failures. The attrition rate turned strategy on its head, allowing underdogs to shine as the conditions worsened.

Erebus and PremiAir looked poised for shock victories until the late Golding-Murray incident opened the door for Penrite Racing’s Ford Mustang to storm through. From there, Payne held his nerve in the closing laps, resisting pressure from the chasing pack as the mountain threw one final curveball after another.

As the chequered flag fell, Ford finally reclaimed Bathurst glory — and a new young star, Matt Payne, announced himself on Australia’s biggest motorsport stage.

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