ITM Christchurch Super 440 Race 10

Kai Allen delivered a strategic masterclass on Friday, April 17, 2026, to become the first-ever Supercars winner in Christchurch and the 89th winner in championship history. Allen’s primary objective was to capitalize on a bold strategy from Penrite Racing, and he did so with ice-cool composure.

Starting from fourth, Allen took the lead after a decisive early pit stop on Lap 17 where the team changed only the rear tyres. This massive undercut allowed him to withstand a late-race "blowtorch" from championship leader Brodie Kostecki, winning by a margin of 0.7423 seconds.

The race was defined by a chaotic opening lap that saw three cars eliminated, including David Reynolds in his milestone 500th start. A bizarre yellow-flag confusion at Turn 4 briefly fragmented the field, allowing a lead quartet of Kostecki, Wood, Payne, and Allen to break away.

Ryan Wood continued his strong New Zealand form to finish third, extending his lead in the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy standings. Despite a reported engine issue late in the race, Wood held off Matt Payne, who finished fourth after starting from pole.

The victory marks a breakthrough moment for the 20-year-old Allen, rewarding the faith of the Grove family in just his 48th career start. 1 /Kai Allen /Penrite Racing /52:16.661 2 /Brodie Kostecki /Shell V-Power Racing Team /52:17.403 3 /Ryan Wood /Mobil1 Truck Assist Racing /52:17.847 4 /Matthew Payne /Penrite Racing /52:19.706 5 /Anton De Pasquale /DEWALT Racing /52:36.927 6 /James Golding /CoolDrive Racing /52:42.521 7 /Cam Waters /Monster Castrol Racing /52:43.061 8 /Chaz Mostert /Mobil1 Optus Racing /52:43.269 9 /Zach Bates /Bendix Racing /52:49.935 10 /Broc Feeney /Red Bull Ampol Racing /52:55.646 11 /Thomas Randle /Monster Castrol Racing /52:56.772 12 /Jayden Ojeda /PremiAir Racing /52:57.061 13 /Andre Heimgartner /R&J Batteries Racing /52:57.796 14 /Rylan Gray /Shell V-Power Racing Team /53:00.718 15 /Jack Le Brocq /Sherrin Rentals Racing /53:05.865 16 /Jobe Stewart /Erebus Motorsport /53:09.868 17 /Will Brown /Red Bull Ampol Racing /53:13.865 18 /Declan Fraser /PremiAir Racing /53:14.089 19 /Cooper Murray /Erebus Motorsport /53:17.421 20 /Aaron Cameron /LIQUI MOLY BLAHST Racing /53:20.969 21 /Jackson Walls /Objective Racing /53:23.625 22 /Macauley Jones /Brad Jones Racing /35 Laps 23 /Cameron Hill /Brad Jones Racing /DNF 24 /David Reynolds /Snowy River Caravans Racing /DNF