Penske Racing

McLaughlin Wins a Thriller in Ipswich

July 28, 2019

Fabian Coulthard - No. 12 Shell V-Power Racing Ford

Practice 4 – 11th (Fastest Lap: 1m09.0813s)
Qualifying – 11th (Fastest Lap: 1m09.0900s)
Race 20 – 18th (Fastest Lap: 1m10.5288s)
 
Scott McLaughlin - No. 17 Shell V-Power Racing Ford

Practice 4 – 1st (Fastest Lap: 1m08.3985s – new qualifying record)
Qualifying – 1st (Fastest Lap: 1m08.6081s)
Race 20 – 1st (Fastest Lap: 1m09.6229s – new race record)
 
RECAP
Scott McLaughlin has bounced back from a self-described ‘average' day yesterday to take pole and a fantastic race win at his home track, Queensland Raceway.
 
Having been off the podium since Saturday in Townsville, McLaughlin was determined to make amends and rekindle the rich vein of form that he has enjoyed in 2019.
 
The pole was his 13th of the year, while the win was number 14 which – when combined with the two wins for Fabian Coulthard and one for Chaz Mostert – sealed the 2019 Supercars Manufacturers title for Ford and the new-for-2019 Mustang.
 
McLaughlin led the race essentially from start to finish, running as effective leader during the pit stop cycles. He got a solid start off the front row alongside Chaz Mostert, battling his fellow Mustang driver through Turn 1 and Turn 2 before pulling ahead down the back straight on the opening lap.
 
He was pushed hard by Triple Eight driver Shane van Gisbergen, who raced McLaughlin hard to the flag, only 0.7-seconds behind him. McLaughlin's points lead is now 433 over teammate Coulthard.
 
Fabian Coulthard had a tough day, qualifying 11th before battling in the mid-pack during the opening stint of the race. He came together with Anton de Pasquale at Turn 4 on lap nine, ending up on the in-field dirt. He returned to the track in last place, and then had to consolidate and minimise the damage.
 
He ended the race 18th, and remains second, 87 points clear of Van Gisbergen in third. The Team's points lead is now 757 over Triple Eight.  
 
COULTHARD QUOTE: "I'd like to know where Lady Luck is at, because she sure isn't with me! This weekend has been far from ideal for us, and when you struggle for outright pace it makes everything harder. Qualifying in the pack means you're going to get caught up in incidents, and that's what happened today. Getting turned around and being last, before having to work hard to get back to 18th isn't the best result, but it's what we could manage today. We're still second in the championship, and now have a month off to think about it before the next race at The Bend."

MCLAUGHLIN QUOTE: "We had to work hard for that one. Shane pushed me the whole way, he never gives up and just kept coming. The car didn't feel nice today, it didn't want to turn and I could see his car was working really nicely so I'm really happy to have taken that one. I just want to keep building my lead in the championship. I am very lucky I get to drive a car like this and want to make the most of it. We've got a bit of time off now before we head to The Bend, so we'll get to enjoy this a bit."

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