MOTORSPORT
Supercars Championship final round; looking ahead to 2019
In 1991, Jim Richards secured his fourth Australian Touring Car Championship win while driving for Nissan. At the time, it was the fifth championship crown earned by a New Zealander in seven years, but little did we know that it would be the last for quite some time.
The likes of Greg Murphy, Paul Radisich, and Jason Richards gave it their all as the series evolved through the 90s and into the new millennium. But, none of them could claim that ultimate prize as the likes of Mark Skaife, Craig Lowndes, and Marcos Ambrose ruled the roost.
Fast forward to today, as the final round of the 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship kicks off, and the situation is vastly different.
Shane van Gisbergen won the title in 2016 — triggering an onslaught of Kiwi successes. In 2017 Scott McLaughlin rose to the occasion, coming within a whisker of making it two titles for New Zealanders in a row.
This year it’s a mathematical certainty a Kiwi will win it again. It’s just a case of deciding on track whether it will be van Gisbergen and his Red Bull Holden Racing Team Commodore, or McLaughlin and his Shell V-Power Racing Ford Falcon.
They have duelled all year. Between them, they’ve won 15 of the year’s 28 races (eight to McLaughlin, seven to van Gisbergen). And approaching this weekend’s grand finale — the Coates Hire Newcastle 500 — just 14 points separate them in the standings.
To put that in perspective, the difference between a first and second-place finish is 12 points. And the points haul for finishing last is 27.
“It’s a nerve-wracking time for both of us,” McLaughlin told Supercars.com.
“But at the end of the day I just try to use the experience I learned last year and the media commitments obviously are going to be high.
“I sort of know what to expect. Last year I went in a little bit shy and didn’t know what was going to happen. I just need to stick to the process and get on with it.
“We’ve got two races, I’ve just got to beat him twice.”
Over the course of the year, the “rivalry” between the two drivers has been ramped up; peaking at the ITM Auckland SuperSprint when van Gisbergen “accidentally” blocked McLaughlin in his car on the podium.
The Red Bull ace later said it was just a mistake, and more recently labelled the rivalry “fake”.
“That’s probably one of my negatives, I don’t influence the media enough and they make up their own stories; I probably didn’t say enough about it. Everyone has made a fake rivalry,” hesaid.
“I think it’s easy to forget how much Scotty and I respect each other and how much we enjoy racing each other. It’s been awesome to see him grow the past few years. Newcastle is going to be epic, whichever way it goes.”
Qualifying for the first race of the weekend takes place today at
1.35pm NZDT, with the race at
5.45pm.