Track maestro says best is yet to come
HE HAS been referred to as an enigma, and this season Scott Mclaughlin can do no wrong.
The reigning Supercars champion has gone from strength to strength in 2019, already reaching double figures in race wins before the halfway point in the season.
He is well on the way to break Craig Lowndes’s record of 16 race wins in a season, a record that has stood for more than two decades.
But according to the DJR Team Penske driver, the best is yet to come.
“I feel it is the best I have ever driven but I still think there is a long way to go before I can say I am at my peak,” Mclaughlin said.
“I think everyone (has room to improve). I think it is more so on the fly, where I need to improve on each weekend. I will go out on the track and probably be off in different parts of the sections compared to Fabs (teammate Fabian Coulthard) and I will look at that.
“You just want to win as many races as you can; obviously, this year the start has been unreal; we have had a really good run and I am very proud of that.
“But there is improvements we could have made and races we could have won.”
Mclaughlin, along with race engineer Ludo Lacroix, have been unstoppable on the track this season, taking the newly introduced Ford Mustang to the next level.
They have faced roadblocks along the way, with controversial discussions over parity in Supercars dominating early stages of the season.
Despite the forced changes in aerodynamics of the Mustang, it has not slowed down the team on the track, with Mclaughlin claiming 12 race wins and 11 poles this season, becoming the first driver to ever claim the Darwin Triple Crown at Hidden Valley last round.
But it is not success that has come easily for the 26-year-old reigning champion.
“For me especially, I feel like I am a lot more complete the as a driver and definitely a lot more confident when I roll up to races,” he said. “It’s not now going ‘ can I win this? Can I do it?’ I know I can if I drive right. That is what I feel like.
“I am proud that people are starting to realise that it is not just the car that is carrying me and Fabs. I think we have both worked hard behind the scenes with data to make ourselves better, and to be appreciated for that is really cool.
“We look at MOTEC, preparation for the event, study during the event. I go home and look at my qualifying laps.
“It is about how much you put in, and if you can get a lot back and win races it is worth it in the end.”
Townsville is one place Mclaughlin is yet to taste ultimate success, finishing on the bottom rung of the podium, behind the Red Bull Holden duo of Shane van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup, in both races during his championship season last year.
But it has not stopped the Shell V-power driver from going into the Watpac Townsville 400 full of confidence.
“It is only hard if you make it hard for yourself. If you go in there with good preparation, and feel good not only on the track but also off it, and really look after things from both ends, there is no reason you can’t be fast,” he said.
“Cars are going to be really quick, so it is up to me and Fabs to perform.
“I think Triple Eight will be strong there. We have been fast there in the past but we haven’t been bullet fast. We’re not counting our chickens just yet.”
CARS ARE GOING TO BE REALLY QUICK, SO IT IS UP TO ME AND FABS TO PERFORM SCOTT MCLAUGHLIN