Mclaughlin keeps the pressure up
AUSTRALIAN SUPERCARS HIDDEN VALLEY (AUS) JUNE 16-17 ROUND 7/16
Scott Mclaughlin extended his Supercars points lead in Darwin last weekend with a win and a second place from the two races.
The DJR Penske Ford driver had to play a defensive role to win Saturday’s race, having gone for an early stop to undercut polesitter and first-stint leader David Reynolds. That left him vulnerable to Shane van Gisbergen and Reynolds in the second stint, the Holden drivers having better rubber for the run home thanks to later stops. But Mclaughlin held on for his sixth victory of the season.
Erebus man Reynolds was the runaway winner on Sunday, sweeping into the lead at Turn 1 from row two and dominating.
Mclaughlin came home second, but it wasn’t easy. First, he was forced to deal with a dislodged helmet-fan hose for much of the gruelling 200-kilometre race, while an oil-surge issue meant his Ford spent the last two stints blowing blue smoke and missing crucial horsepower.
Luckily for Mclaughlin both he and the car made it to the finish, holding off Jamie Whincup by 0.6 seconds.
Van Gisbergen finished fourth, which meant losing more ground to championship leader Mclaughlin. The gap between the Kiwis is now 161 points, while Reynolds’s fine weekend moves him back to third in the standings, ahead of Craig Lowndes.
Having finished eighth on Saturday before his third on Sunday, reigning champion Whincup is now 433 points behind.