MOTORSPORT: McLaughlin and Ford Mustang win again

It was a weekend of big numbers for Supercars championship leader Scott McLaughlin.

Over the course of the Queensland Raceway outing he managed to bring up the 100th (and 101st) pole position for Dick Johnson Racing and the team it has evolved into, DJR Team Penske.

He went 4-1 in the two races in his Shell V-Power Ford Mustang to extend his championship lead to a mammoth — and almost unassailable — 433 points over teammate Fabian Coulthard, who had his worst weekend of the year.

Then, to wrap it all up, he copped a combined $13,000 fine for burn-out celebrations that went on past “the nominated points” ($3000) and for carrying a promotional poster on to the podium, celebrating Ford’s win in the manufacturer’s championship ($10,000).

It was understandable that McLaughlin celebrated wildly on Sunday, as he held off intense pressure from Red Bull HRT’s Shane Van Gisbergen in the 200km race to take his 14th win of the season.

On Saturday van Gisbergen’s teammate Jamie Whincup broke his 2020 winless streak in the 120km race.

His good mate Will Davison (Milwaukee Mustang ) scored his first podium since winning the Bathurst 1000 in 2016, while Tickford Racing’s Chaz Mostert was third on both days in his Supercheap Mustang.

A boisterous opening few laps was the highlight of Saturday’s race, while the finish livened things up on Sunday.

New ‘parc ferme’ rules had prevented teams from retuning cars after qualifying and McLaughlin had battled understeer as van Gisbergen closed in his better handling Holden.

This was the second Supercars event in a row where the factory Holden and Ford teams had shared the wins, rather than McLaughlin and DJRTP sweeping all before it.

Even so, McLaughlin’s points haul means he now leads the championship by almost one-and-a-half race meetings.

“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,” he said post-race.