Matt Payne and Garth Tander win dramatic Bathurst 1000 after starting 18th

Matt Payne and Garth Tander won a dramatic Bathurst 1000 auto race in a Ford Mustang Sunday despite crossing the line in second place and after starting from 18th on the grid.

James Golding was first across the line in a Chevrolet but was carrying a five-second time penalty that lifted Payne into first place and David Reynolds, also in a Chevy Camaro, into second. Golding and teammate David Russell finished third.

Torrential rain, low cloud, multiple crashes, safety cars and repeated lead changes in the final laps produced some of the most extraordinary scenes in the 65-year history of Australia’s most prestigious auto race.

Payne, a 23-year-old New Zealander, only led for three of the 161 laps of the endurance classic but stayed close to Golding in the final laps, knowing the outstanding time penalty would hand him his first victory in the race and the sixth for the veteran Australian Tander.

“Those last laps felt like forever,” Payne said. “We kept getting safety cars that kept stalling our race. We just managed to get through but a win’s a win, we’ll take it.”

The race had seven safety cars in all but four of those came in the last 35 laps, ensuring the leading drivers were always close together.

First, the young New Zealander Ryan Wood held the lead until he was overtaken by Golding with 33 laps remaining. Wood eventually dropped out with engine failure.

Cooper Murray led after the sixth safety car. Payne moved into second place after the seventh safety car with 17 laps remaining.

With five laps to go, Golding and Murray came into contact and Golding picked up the penalty that handed the race to Payne.

On final standings, Payne beat Reynolds by 0.959 seconds with Golding 4.040 seconds back in third.

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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing