Payne's first race was in 1902, on 14 July at Stourbridge. He crashed and damaged his bicycle but went on to win the half-mile handicap (handicap 75 yards) on a borrowed bike. During his first season he won 13 of 14 track races (coming second in the other). He specialised in half and one-mile races. By the end of June 1903 he was referred to as "the Worcester Wonder" in The Cyclist. The majority of his racing was on grass but he proved at home on permanent velodromes.