The winner of the last round of the Dunlop Series in Perth, Scott McLaughlin has a new backer and a change in car preparation for the next round of the series in Townsville in July.

McLaughlin announced today the addition of Indian automobile and tractor manufacturer Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd to his list of backers for the 2012 season.

“It’s fantastic to partner with a quality brand like Mahindra which is one of the biggest companies in India and steadily growing its presence in Australia,” said the 19-year-old, who sits second in the Dunlop Series to Chaz Mostert with two rounds of seven complete.

“I’m proud to represent a new brand in V8 Supercars, and I hope our partnership will be a very successful one. So far it has been a great season, and with Mahindra’s support I’m confident it can only get better as we aim to win the Dunlop Series this year.”

The partnership is the Mahindra Group’s first entry into Australian motorsport but globally the company already is involved in MotoGP.

The Mahindra Group is one of India’s leading business houses. It is a federation of companies with a presence in automobiles, aerospace, agriculture, defence, energy, logistics, IT and real estate. It also has a controlling interest in Korea’s SsangYong Motor Company, which is acquired last year.

Fresh from his recent victory in the final sprint round of the NZ V8 SuperTourer Series at Hampton Downs, McLaughlin will have a slight change to his crew for Townsville.

Matt Stone Racing will now run his #93 Fujitsu Falcon for the remainder of the Dunlop Series, rather than Stone Brothers Racing.

Matt Stone, now in his second year running his own team in the development category, is the son of SBR co-owner Jim Stone.