MCLAUGHLIN BREAKS RECORD AT HOME
Scott McLaughlin breaks wins record at home – Photo: LAT
NEW ZEALANDER Scott McLaughlin has taken the win in the second race of the Auckland 400 breaking Craig Lowndes’ record of the most race wins in a season with seventeen.
The Kiwi benefitted from a monumental safety car blunder which worked against all the early stoppers and played into the hands of the drivers who were yet to stop when the safety car was deployed lap 14.
McLaughlin inherited the lead when Jamie Whincup received a penalty for overtaking the safety car.
The Team Penske driver took the win by 1.89s over fellow Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen, who in finishing second won the Jason Richards Memorial Trophy.
Tickford Racing driver Chaz Mostert rounded out the podium bouncing back from a disastrous Saturday, in which he suffered steering damage after contact with teammate Cameron Waters.
Nick Percat forced Mostert to defend heavily in the closing laps but could not get through, bringing his Brad Jones Racing Commodore home in fourth position.
Todd Hazelwood recorded his career best Supercars result of fifth for Matt Stone Racing. In what has been a challenging couple of weeks for Walkinshaw Andretti United Scott Pye recorded his equal best result of the season in sixth.
The highest Nissan Altima was Simona de Silvestro who recorded a career high finish of seventh in the Supercars Championship.
Mark Winterbottom finished in eighth position ahead of the two Garry Rogers Motorsport cars of Richie Stanaway and James Golding with Rick Kelly 11th.
Fabian Coulthard, Will Davison, Cameron Waters and Lee Holdsworth were all looking good for a strong top ten result until the safety car debacle threw a spanner in the works, they finished from 11th through to 15th. After the drive through penalty Jamie Whincup came home just behind in 16th.
The next round of the championship takes place at ‘the mountain’ in Bathurst from October 10-13.
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