V8 Supercars young stars Scott McLaughlin and Chaz Mostert have raved about the “awesome” KL City Grand Prix street circuit after this afternoon’s practice session in tricky conditions.
The drivers were raring to hit the track after delays this morning as the circuit was finalised, and when Craig Lowndes geared up for his first honourary laps, he was met by a downpour which also mixed things up for the five car field’s practice session.
Mostert and McLaughlin were first and third fastest in the session, which helped them get acquainted with the new track before qualifying tomorrow morning. Lowndes’ Holden Commodore split the Falcon and Volvo around the 3.2km street track.
Both young guns raved about the experience of turning laps in the heart of the Malaysian city, McLaughlin declaring the race could be a marquee event in years to come.
“It was awesome – very hot, you don’t realise how hot it is,” the Volvo S60 driver told v8supercars.com.au.
“It’s something we can really make a good event. It could be a signature event on our calendar if they do it right.”
While he is keen to bag maximum points this weekend and claim the first ever Malaysian round win, McLaughlin wasn’t full throttle through the concrete canyon today given the slippery conditions.
“At the end of the day it’s about putting on a show … we’re still trying hard, but we’ve got to bring the car back,” he said.
“The fast left-handers around the back [of the circuit] are pretty cool.
“It’s just quite hard to find the limit because it’s so slippery. It’s full of absolutely different corners, so it’s really cool.”
Last race winner Mostert – who sits third in the Championship behind Lowndes – said he had a lot of fun.
“It’s such an unreal track, quite funky, tight walls, you’ve got to commit a lot. It’s just fantastic to be out there, given a run and come back unscathed,” the Pepsi Max driver told v8supercars.com.au.
“I don’t think there was one part of the circuit that wasn’t interesting. I had a lot of fun, it was cool.”
Both drivers are running spare chassis this weekend, with their regular race cars back at home in Victoria.
Mostert had not achieved a pole position in a V8 Supercar until Perth this season, but once he got the monkey off his back, he’s been close to unstoppable in qualifying.
The idea of earning P1 underneath the Petronas Twin Towers tomorrow brought a smile to his face, and he is well and truly on the way after notching up the top time today.
“It would be pretty cool on pole under the Petronas Towers, I’m not going to lie! It’s a bit weird with only five cars but just to say you started on the front row would be pretty cool.”
The V8 Supercars are set to qualify tomorrow morning, ahead of the first challenge in the afternoon at the inaugural KL City Grand Prix.
