Scott McLaughlin’s love affair with Phillip Island has continued with the Kiwi speedster claiming a commanding V8 Supercars win on Saturday.
After winning his first pole of the season earlier in the day, McLaughlin took his third victory on the island in as many years.
After successfully negotiating the compulsory pit stop without any drama, the superior pace of his Volvo S60 came into its own, careering away for a drought-breaking win.
For both McLaughlin and Garry Rogers Motorsport, this was the first win since the 2014 meet on Phillip Island.
“It’s been so tough to get through the last two years,” McLaughlin said.
“The guys gave me a great car, I’m so stoked.
“It’s been so tough the last year or so, [I’m happy] to repay these guys in a big way, not only the guys here, but the people at the back of the workshop and all of our sponsors.
“I wanted to do a burn-out so bad but they wouldn’t let me.”
It’s also the first time a non-Commodore has finished on top of the podium this season, with McLaughlin becoming the sixth winner in as many races.
Jamie Whincup took second place but never seriously challenged McLaughlin, with Fabian Coulthard earning third with a stunning drive through the field.
The second place put Whincup in control of the championship, 27 points ahead of Craig Lowndes.
Mark Winterbottom is third in the standings, with McLaughlin fourth.
While McLaughlin had the day’s best drive, Coulthard lit up the track behind him.
The DJR Team Penske man improved from ninth on the grid to finish third, overtaking senior drivers on his way.
Chaz Mostert’s final-lap run into the gravel elevated Coulthard to the podium.
The No 55 driver bowed to the crowd after putting on a show but would be devastated to lose a healthy points haul so late in the race.
His team-mate Scott Pye was on track to join him for a top-10 finish but spun out spectacularly and late at the high-speed turn-one to finish 26th.
Whincup conceded McLaughlin was way too fast to him in this race, but hopes to have a better crack at him in Sunday’s longer race.
“Congratulations to Scotty, he was playing with us today,” Whincup said.
“We’ll tune the car up tonight and make a bit of a challenge for him tomorrow.”
Of the other New Zealanders in the race, Shane Van Gisbergen was fourth, Chris Pither 19th and Andre Heimgartner was 24th.
“It wasn’t as good as we thought we would be after qualifying,” Van Gisbergen said.
“The car was really good on the old tyres, we didn’t quite maximise the potential of the new tyres. Fifth wasn’t too bad to sit, but one came through from the back and one fell off, then we ended up where we started again.
“The car is pretty good, but the front-runners are very quick. We will work on our high speed stuff overnight, it’s hard to keep the car on the track, it is really fast but that also makes it hard to drive. If we can make it easier to control it will be easier on tyres ahead of tomorrow’s race.”
