Mclaughlin carts himself back to his roots
Scott Mclaughlin might be the current Supercars ruler but he’s had to settle for second at the Kartsport NZ Nationals.
The reigning Supercars champion swapped his V8 Mustang for a go-kart over Easter weekend to contest the Kartsport NZ National Sprint Championships in Hamilton.
The runaway 2019 Supercars championship leader started from the front row of the grid in the final of the 125cc Rotax Max Heavy class – after finishing second in the pre-final – but could not make an impression on runaway leader Ryan Urban yesterday.
Mclaughlin, who was a karting champion as a child, finished 4.7 seconds behind the Aucklander in what was a impressive return after almost a decade out of a kart.
Urban, who dominated the class and was unbeaten in five races over the weekend, praised Mclaughlin for returning to his roots.
‘‘Absolutely amazing. I don’t think we’ve ever had a crowd this big,’’ Urban said Mclaughlin’s involvement.
Mclaughlin, 25, was happy with second and said he hoped his involvement had helped raise the profile of Kartsport.
‘‘Really proud to come back and race here,’’ he said. of
Mclaughlin beat home teammate and defending champion Zack Zaloum – who benefited from a last-lap incident between Caleb Hartley and Justin Cunningham – in the 22-lap final.
Zaloum said it was an incredible achievement for Mclaughlin to take second after being out of the sport for so long.
‘‘To hop in a kart on Thursday and be straight on pace is unreal,’’ he said.
Mclaughlin said he hoped he would be back to compete in the national championships in 2020.
Mclaughlin’s love of motorsport began in go-karting – for which he is now a patron for the Hamilton club and also Kart Sport New Zealand.
‘‘For me, it was something about giving back and giving back to the community and it’s great to raise the profile of karting in New Zealand as well,’’ he told Stuff.