Scott seeking a U-turn at Bend
CHAMPIONSHIP leader Scott McLaughlin has credited a more mature and calculating approach for his rise from the ashes – and he’ll need it as V8 Supercars drivers prepare to attack the unknown today at The Bend, in South Australia.
McLaughlin, who lost last year’s championship in the final race of the year, has had a much more consistent season and no longer looks like the driver who blitzes them one week but blows out the next.
He finished 18th in Newcastle to hand the title to Jamie Whincup in 2017 but has been calmer this year, and has been installed as the $2.50 favourite to win race 1 at The Bend.
McLaughlin puts it down to becoming a more mature driver and knowing when to cut his losses.
“I feel like I’ve worked hard behind the scenes with my engineers to become more of a 100 per cent driver, in some ways,” he said.
“There’s still a long way to go to be up there with the likes of Whincup or someone like that. I’m trying to use the negative of last year and turn it into a positive.”
The Murray River town of Tailem Bend, about 100km southeast of Adelaide, will host a Supercars race for the first time at the new $110 million The Bend Motorsport Park.
McLaughlin said he had studied the circuit from a distance via YouTube before yesterday’s track walk.
“There are certainly a lot of corners that are fast and flowing – they’re very different,” he said.
“But I think that’s the whole challenge of it – a world-class facility with some amazing corners which is probably going to turn into an amazing circuit for Australia.
“I’ve watched a lot of YouTube stuff.
“I haven’t physically driven on the track yet. It’s one of those things where I’ll have to try to figure it out as I go.”