Shackled Mustangs still gallop to Barbagallo brace
AUSTRALIAN SUPERCARS BARBAGALLO (AUS) 3-4 MAY ROUND 5/15
The Ford Mustang might have had its wings clipped ahead of the first Perth Supernight round, but nothing could stop DJR Team Penske’s Fabian Coulthard and Scott Mclaughlin from flying to a pair of wins.
Amid ongoing discontent regarding the Mustang’s ability to produce mid-corner downforce, Supercars elected to give the car a haircut before heading west. That meant less overhang on the bottom of the rear-wing endplates, a lower gurney flap, and a shorter undertray for the six Fords in the field.
Whether it would make a difference on the short Barbagallo Raceway layout was the big question. Friday qualifying answered it emphatically. Mclaughlin became the first (and only) Supercar driver to lap under 53 seconds at the circuit, setting a 52.852s followed by a 52.814s to secure pole.
The race, however, didn’t quite go the polesitter’s way. A sluggish getaway let Coulthard sneak into the lead from the outside of the front row, while Jamie Whincup and Chaz Mostert also barged past Mclaughlin on the opening lap.
The reigning champ quickly overhauled Mostert with a third-lap pass at Turn 7, before undercutting Whincup during the round of stops.
However, he was unable to closedown his team-mate, and so Coulthard added to his recent Phillip Island success to take consecutive wins for the first time since early 2017. Mostert came home third to make it an all-mustang podium.
Whincup, meanwhile, was forced to deny team orders to hang on to fourth spot. Triple Eight asked him to let Shane van Gisbergen, coming home strong on fresher rubber, through to have a crack at Mostert with four laps to go. Sensing that Mostert was too far down the road, Whincup refused to yield, and their team manager Mark Dutton later admitted he made the call too late.
On Saturday, Mclaughlin’s qualifying lap was slightly slower – a 52.905s – but the gap over the field was immense. He was 0.4s clear of Whincup, in a session where the top 22 were all within a second of pole.
From there he was never going to lose the finale, taking an eighth win of the season in a controlled fashion.
Whincup was good enough for second, making him the only non-mustang driver to finish on the podium all weekend, while Cam Waters jumped Coulthard during the second round of stops – sparked by a safety car to retrieve Scott Pye’s crashed Holden – for third.
ANDREW VAN LEEUWEN