Liam Lawson congratulated his friend on winning the Supercars race.

      Liam Lawson’s forecast, which he shared on the eve of the 1000-mile race at Australia’s Mount Panorama circuit, proved accurate: his childhood friend, 23-year-old New Zealander Matt Payne, scored a brilliant and very important victory today.

      Payne had a poor qualifying and therefore started from a distant 18th position, but he drove a superb race in very difficult conditions — it was raining, the track was slippery, visibility was poor, and there were numerous crashes that saw the safety car deployed repeatedly.

      The Fox Sports Australia commentator nearly lost his voice while following the action on the track in the closing laps. At one point Payne emerged the winner of a duel that lasted several corners with Cooper Murray, but he couldn’t keep the car on the track, ran off onto the shoulder and rejoined, allowing two rivals through — not only Murray but also James Golding.

      He didn’t give up, fought back, and ultimately finished second, 0.959 seconds behind Golding, who was handed a five-second penalty for forcing Murray off the track, so the victory was awarded to the crew of Matt Payne and his co-driver Garth Tander.

      It has been called one of the most dramatic races in the 65-year history of the Bathurst 1000, the most prestigious event in Australian motorsport.

      “It was absolute madness!” Payne commented after the finish. “It felt like the last laps went on forever, but we just managed to get through it, and a win is a win — and we got it!”

      For Matt Payne this is already his fifth win of the season, and he sits second in the drivers’ standings.