The Matt Stone Racing driver was given the lead when Brodie Kostecki and Ryan Wood squabbled over first place at Turn 8 and found themselves off the road at Turn 9.
That followed Team 18’s Anton De Pasquale bowling a wide at Turn 1 from second on the grid.
In less than a lap, Hill had gone from fourth to first. However, his lead was short-lived.
On Lap 8, Payne jinked to the right at Turn 4 and caught Hill off-guard.
The #4 Camaro blocked in reaction, forcing the #19 Mustang off onto the grass.
Payne completed the pass, albeit with a fair bit of door-to-door rubbing on the way through.
Tickford Racing’s Thomas Randle capitalised and usurped the Canberran for second.
“He put a pretty good move on me,” said Hill when asked of Payne’s pass.
“It’s a bit embarrassing really. He snuck up there, but he was kind enough not to tip me off, so thanks Matt for looking after me.”
The young Kiwi Matt Payne is now the leader of this race!#RepcoSC #Supercars pic.twitter.com/NIgQpqfYOF
— Supercars (@supercars) April 13, 2025
Presented the opportunity, the 22-year-old said the chance to win at home on Sunday and take the Jason Richards Trophy added extra motivation.
“It was a tough one because Cam had really good drive for the majority of a lot of the corners, so I sort of found it hard to make a run or create a run,” the Grove Racing driver explained.
“I had a good shot at Turn 1 and he covered it off, and then I knew he was going to be covering for [Turn] 5 so I thought I need to be a little bit opportunistic for the pass.
“There wasn’t much room but I think being second on a Sunday race, leading the standings for the weekend, I don’t think there was anything stopping my car from going up the inside.”
Hill wound up second at the end of 61 laps, marking his third podium finish across the last six races.
“We’re trying to make it a regular thing,” said Hill.
“It’s pretty tough in this game. I sort of felt like we left a few points on the table [on Saturday]. I didn’t think we were lacking pace, it’s just a few things that cost the results.
“We made a few changes [on Sunday] morning and that probably made it a top three car.
“The seas kind of parted for me at the beginning of the race, which always helps. From there we were able to have a really good one.
“Couldn’t quite keep Matty at bay. He was very good but it was a good way to finish the weekend for us.”
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