Rising V8 Supercars star Scott McLaughlin claimed the third win of his rookie season in race two of the Queensland Raceway weekend.

McLaughlin had already taken wins in the non-championship Melbourne Formula 1 support event and the Pukekohe points round.

The Garry Rogers Holden beat polesitting champion Jamie Whincup’s Triple 8 Commodore off the line on a slightly damp track.

The circuit very rapidly dried and McLaughlin was able to hold Whincup at arm’s length throughout.

He was untroubled by a safety car to retrieve debris from Lee Holdsworth’s Mercedes, ultimately winning by 0.6 seconds.

James Courtney celebrated his new Holden Racing Team deal with a podium, as he shadowed the leaders in third.

Fabian Coulthard emerged from a wild early gaggle to take a lonely fourth.

His Brad Jones Holden team-mate Jason Bright grabbed fifth from star rookie Chaz Mostert on the line.

Mostert had qualified a stunning fourth and briefly jumped to second on lap one before being elbowed back.

Ford Performance Racing duo Will Davison and Mark Winterbottom and Whincup’s team-mate Craig Lowndes all had underwhelming qualifying sessions and could not recover.

They finished ninth, 10th and 12th, with a similarly disappointed Garth Tander among them in 11th.