McLaughlin wins the Barry Sheene medal

McLaughlin wins the Barry Sheene medal

V8 Supercars11:52pm 8 December 2014

Event 03 of the 2014 Australian V8 Supercars Championship Series

The kid who made Volvo cool and the jandal a household name has been awarded V8 Supercars highest honour in being named the 2014 Barry Sheene Medallist as the sports best and fairest.

McLaughlin was voted as the most popular figure on the sport as race suits were swapped for bow ties at The Star in Sydney and the WAGs got their chance to don the frocks on the red carpet.

The 21-year-old Kiwi has stunned the Championship this year starting in Adelaide when he shocked six-time Champion Jamie Whincup on the last corner at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide and hasn’t looked back since.

Overcome by emotion he said live on television at the time: “I just plucked it in first, gave it some jandal and f… yeah” words that made him an instant hero to millions around the world.

McLaughlin backed it up through the year with ten ARMOR ALL Pole Positions, equal with Whincup, to go with four race wins, again second only to the dominant Champion and equal with Mark Winterbottom, and one behind fellow Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen.

The humble spoken Kiwi-born racer made his debut in the Development Series as a 16-year-old back in 2010.

Having stepped up from the Dunlop Series as the reigning Champion, McLaughlin made his debut in the 2013 V8 Supercar Championship. He made an impact immediately, qualifying in the ARMOR ALL Top 10 Shootout for his first official full-time race at the Clipsal 500 in Adelaide.

An apprentice fabricator with experience working behind the scenes at SBR, Pace Innovations and GRM, McLaughlin completed his apprenticeship in 2013 and still works in the Valvoline Racing GRM workshop in-between on-track commitments.

His personality, charm and humility has won him adoring fans. His fresh-faced, brash approach to all things has made him one of the most popular drivers in the sport.

It was his second major award in succession after last year being named as the prestigious Mike Kable Young Gun, or rookie of the year, following in the footsteps of Marcos Ambrose, Winterbottom, James Courtney and Chaz Mostert.

Five-time Champion Mark Skaife joined the luminaries of the sport when he was inducted into the Hall of Fame, joining the greats of Australian motorsport in the all-time honours list.

Whincup was again endorsed as the 2013 V8 Supercar Champion and the winner of the ARMOR ALL Pole Positions on a count back with McLaughlin, while Mostert and Paul Morris were honoured as the Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 Champions.

Paul Dumbrell was honoured as the 2014 Dunlop Series Champion in his Eggleston Motorsport Holden.

Highly respected journalist Mark Fogarty took out the Media Award after four decades working within national and international motorsport, and his coverage this year of V8 Supercars in specialist magazine Auto Action and across Fairfax Media.

Holden was the Champion Manufacturer of the Year and the ITM 500 Auckland for the best volunteer group.

The 2014 V8 Supercars Awards:

2014 Champion – Jamie Whincup, Red Bull Racing Australia

Best Volunteer Group – ITM 500 Auckland

ARMOR ALL Pole Position Award – Jamie Whincup, Red Bull Racing Australia

ARMOR ALL Pole Position Award V8 Supercars Dunlop Series – Cameron Waters, TEAM ENZED FPR

Privateers Cup – Andre Heimgartner, Finance Ezi/MW Motorsports

V8 Supercars Media Award – Mark Fogarty

Champion Manufacturer of the Year – Holden

Dunlop Series Champion – Paul Dumbrell, Eggleston Motorsport

Mike Kable ‘Young Gun’ Award – Todd Hazelwood, Tecalemit Racing

Champion Team of the Year – Red Bull Racing Australia