The defining moment of the race came at the fast Turn 9, Mostert out-braking himself while running second to send both himself and Payne off the road.

That left third-placed Percat in a lead he would hold until the end despite coming under serious pressure from Triple Eight pair Will Brown and Broc Feeney.

A second place for Brown was enough to secure the Larry Perkins Trophy and leave him as the series leader.

Payne made a rapid start from the second on the grid, charging past pole-sitter Mostert to grab the early lead.

It looked like a somewhat comfortable lead as well, until the contact with Mostert on the way into Turn 9.

Both went off the road as third-placed Percat swept in to the lead.

Things would get worse for Payne a few moments later, Bryce Fullwood tipping him into a spin at Turn 1 to dump him even further back in the pack.

Mostert, meanwhile, was able to resume inside the top 10 but was swiftly slapped with a five-second time penalty for the contact.

Percat continued to lead however it didn’t take long for the Matt Stone Racing driver to come under pressure from Triple Eight’s Feeney.

Late on Lap 8, Feeney made a play for the lead, he and Percat running side-by-side for several corners. Percat managed to hold onto the lead, while the battle helped Will Brown join the fight.

That proved to be a reprieve for Percat as the two Red Bull drivers duked it out over second place, Brown eventually claiming the spot over Feeney.

Brown then tried to hunt down Percat, but while he could get close, there was no stopping the South Aussie from scoring a second race win for MSR, and a first for himself since 2020.

Mostert finished fourth on the road but dropped to fifth thanks to his penalty, which was good news for Thomas Randle who was promoted to fourth.

Will Davison finished sixth as the sole Dick Johnson Racing car that took part in the race after team-mate Anton De Pasquale retired on the formation lap with a right-rear wheel issue.

Cam Waters dropped back to seventh, having run as high as third early in the race, with Richie Stanaway, David Reynolds and Tim Slade rounding out the top 10.

Results: Race 6, MSS Security Melbourne SuperSprint

Fastest lap (bonus): Thomas Randle, 1:48.4542s, Lap 2

Drivers’ championship

Teams’ championship