It was a tough second year in the Volvo for Scott McLaughlin – one he’d often referred to as character-building.
The young gun was unable to record a win, but showed flashes of form with his Wilson Security GRM team throughout 2015.
McLaughlin reflected on his rollercoaster year with v8supercars.com.au.
Best race of 2015?
“I have to say my best race – up until the point we bent the steering arm was Sydney. We had a really good run with the cars, we were probably in a position for a podium.
“The most fun race was Bathurst last year – we finished fifth but it was something we really enjoyed. We were leading the race at one stage in the rain and really enjoyed that.”
In what has been a hard year, to get through 1000km and mix it with the guys at the front must’ve felt great.
“Yeah, it was a big confidence boost for our team and one that allowed us to really have a strong end of the season, which we did.”
Most disappointing race?
“Most disappointing race for me – there were a lot of them – but Adelaide when we qualified really well, and when we didn’t get to start the first race, it really set the tone for the whole year. It was one of those things– something out of our control. It sucked to start that way.”
Best battle with another driver?
“Probably Rick Kelly – we were trying to beat each other in the Championship and every time I went bad, he’d send me a text, just taking the p*ss. And it was really funny.”
Best off-track memory or experience?
“That’s a tough one … KL was pretty cool. But Moff’s bucks was pretty cool!”
Best performance by another driver?
“Probably Frosty all season. He’s been the guy everyone had to beat all year and won pretty convincingly. Especially in the last round when he had a lot of pressure on him, he notched up a pole and just drove it home – that was pretty good.”
What was your goal at the start of the season and how did that play out?
“Start of the season we were definitely aiming to be in the top three of the championship, if not win it. That didn’t happen, and we stopped pretty early, but for us we had to reconsider our goals pretty early in the season – we did that and then towards the end of the season it was about making a few podiums and poles and we ended up doing that. Unfortunately we didn’t get a win but to come back from basically 23rd in the Championship and finish in the top 10 is a big deal.”
What has been the team’s biggest achievement?
“Just coming back, I think, from the dramas and moving forward. Not putting their heads down, but making sure we’re trying to finish races and work on the cars. We didn’t necessarily have amazing pace, but we’ve gotten back to that with five poles, five podiums – that’s a pretty cool deal.”
Biggest news story or shock announcement of the year?
“For me, probably Penske going to two cars. It’s pretty cool he’s staying around for a long time, it’s good for V8 Supercars to have a big name like that in town.”
Who will improve the most in 2016?
“I think Whincup will be very hard to beat.”
What are you most looking forward to in the 2016 season?
“Probably just having one of my best mates as a teammate [in James Moffat] and working hard with him and the team, and try and move forward in the teams championship, where we haven’t been that good in the past. I think that’s pretty important.”
The numbers:
Championship position: Eighth
Points: 2205
Penalty: 0
Race wins: None. Best finish second at Ipswich, twice at Phillip Island.
ARMOR ALL Pole Positions: Five
Average qualifying position: 7.7
Average finishing position: 11.3
