Mclaughlin is no sporting egotist
Scott Mclaughlin proves that nice guys can get to the top.
For your average sports stars, success is matched by ego and they regard themselves as a brand as much as an athlete.
Yet with New Zealand’s Mclaughlin, who’s leading the Supercars championship coming into this weekend’s Bathurst 1000, there’s none of that.
Inside the DJR Team Penske team he’ll happily chinwag with the junior staff as he would with the bosses. Outside it he’ll have his photograph taken and sign things for however long it takes.
He’s also a dream for the media, not only because of the f-bomb he dropped on live TV when overexcited in 2014, but because he gets that being open and honest is the best way to be.
On the whole, Supercars drivers are good to deal with and understand they’re playing a part in trying to sell the sport in a competitive market like Australia.
But there are some who are chatty while they’re getting asked questions how successful they’ve been, but instantly clam up whenever asked anything negative about them.
Not so Mclaughlin, he’ll talk at length about the good and bad parts of his racing.
The way the 24-year-old Mclaughlin is comes from how he was raised. His father, Wayne Mclaughlin, Scott’s father, says this is something he instilled in his son.
‘‘We’re probably more proud of him off the track than on it, for what he does, like mixing with kids,’’ Wayne said.
‘‘He’s got a thing going for motor neurone disease [an ambassador for Cure for Motor Neurone Disease Foundation], he does a lot for child cancer and I’m very proud of him for all of that.’’
‘‘I’ve always said to him that the people you’re rude to on the way up are the people you’ll meet on the way down,’’ Wayne added.
‘‘I’ve had a couple of successful businesses and I’ve run them on the theory that your customers will drive your business and I’ve said to Scott that your customers are your fans.
‘‘If you look after them you’ll go a long way, so that’s how we’ve looked at it and for him to keep his feet firmly on the ground.’’