2025 Taupō Super 440
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| Event Information | ||||||||||||||
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| Round 3 of 13 in the 2025 Supercars Championship | ||||||||||||||
 Layout of the Taupo International Motorsport Park | ||||||||||||||
| Date | 11–13 April 2025 | |||||||||||||
| Location | Taupō, New Zealand | |||||||||||||
| Venue | Taupo International Motorsport Park | |||||||||||||
| Results | ||||||||||||||
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The 2025 Taupō Super 440 (known for commercial reasons as the 2025 ITM Taupō Super 440) was a motor racing event for Supercars that was held on 11–13 April 2025 at the Taupo International Motorsport Park in the Taupō, New Zealand. The round consisted of two 120km races followed by a 200km final, and was the third round of the 2025 Supercars Championship. It was also that year's sole international event for the championship.
Matt Payne won both the first and third races of the weekend while Chaz Mostert won the second race. Payne would accumulate the most points of all drivers throughout the weekend, thus winning him the annual Jason Richards Memorial Trophy.
Entry list
The event was held on the weekend of 11–13 April 2025. It was the second Supercars event to be held at the Taupo International Motorsport Park, and consisted of two 120 km races as well as one 200 km final.
Twenty four cars were entered into the event — 14 sixth-generation Chevrolet Camaros and 11 seventh-generation Ford Mustangs.[1] Only one driver change was made from the beginning of the season, with Aaron Cameron replacing Aaron Love at Blanchard Racing Team at the Melbourne SuperSprint.[2]
Additionally, the Dick Johnson Racing cars would sport a one-off livery for the round. Owing to Shell V-Power fuel not being available in New Zealand, the Mustangs would carry Jet Couriers sponsorship in its place.[3]
Race report
The first race of the weekend saw Matt Payne take advantage of his pole position start; never relinquishing his lead at any point for the 37-lap race distance. In doing so, Payne became the fifth New Zealander to win a Supercars race in his home country, alongside Greg Murphy, Shane van Gisbergen, Scott McLaughlin and Andre Heimgartner. On lap 1, a collision between Cameron Hill and Cooper Murray saw the latter sent into the runoff. Hill would be punished with a 15-second time penalty. On lap 5, Thomas Randle attempted a move on Anton de Pasquale at turn one. However, in doing so, spun Chaz Mostert who was sent tumbling down the field. The safety car was deployed on lap 11 when Macauley Jones' car stopped on track due to an engine failure.[4]
The second race was decided in somewhat controversial circumstances after late-race contact between Mostert and Brodie Kostecki. Kostecki lamented the perceived lack of enforcement against overly-aggressive driving which he opined cost him the win. [5]
Results
Race 1
Race 2
Race 3
Aftermath
On the lead up to the weekend, rumours persisted of a second New Zealand-based round in the South Island slated for the 2027 season. One month later, plans would be confirmed for an event at Euromarque Motorsport Park in Christchurch as part of a double-header in conjunction with the Taupō round.[9]
