MOTORSPORT: McLaughlin to miss Bathurst 1000

Scott McLaughlin is out of the 2021 Repco Bathurst 1000 but already hoping for a Supercars return to Mount Panorama in 2022.

COVID-19 travel restrictions and his IndyCar commitments in the US with Team Penske mean McLaughlin could not make the trip Down Under for The Great Race in the first week of December.

Even so, the former Bathurst winner and three-times Supercars series champion has given an early commitment to next year’s event.

“I’m not prepared to come back to Australia and do it half-arsed,” said McLaughlin from his new home in Charlotte, North Carolina.

“I was there, if I could. But with the quarantine, and a few things going on, it’s proven a bit difficult.”

The final decision came this week, and McLaughlin’s withdrawal from the squad means his Shell V-Power Team will head to Bathurst with brothers Will and Alex Davison sharing the iconic #17 Ford Mustang, and Anton De Pasquale teaming with Tony D’Alberto in the sister #11 car.

McLaughlin said the final deal breaker for him was the uncertainty around travel and quarantine.

“I wanted to put the best foot forward. I think I owe that to DJR. I just couldn’t commit that amount of time away without knowing I could get back.”

But he has some hope for 2022 and confirms he has been talking to the head of Dick Johnson Racing, Ryan Story, about next year.

“I’m ready to go next year if he wants it to happen,” said McLaughlin.

Even so, he admitted the chance of a return to Supercars is slim because of the effort he is putting into becoming a top-10 contender in IndyCar, and eventually a series champion and Indianapolis 500 winner, in the US.

“I’ve got to be realistic and put everything in the court right now. It takes a lot of effort to get where I want to be,” he said.

“I kinda need to be here. I’m twice in the SIM (race simulator) this week, two full days. Obviously, testing and stuff. Getting fit.”

McLaughlin said the time to come to Bathurst is not just about race day, but everything from a seat fitting to track testing ahead of the race, and that would punch too big a hole in his IndyCar calendar.

“Right now I’m probably not prepared to how I can’t commit the right amount of time to both sides of the Pacific. I don’t want to do that right now,” he said.

Reviewing his first season as an IndyCar driver, where his best result was second at a high-banked speedway in Texas and where he claimed Rookie of the Year honours at the Indy 500 and in the championship, McLaughlin rates himself “probably a B-plus” for 2021.

“I probably got a little complacent in some ways. I expected it to happen sooner, and I was putting a lot of pressure on myself,” he said.

“Once I sorted out my attitude and a few things, it got a lot better. The last six to seven races the results got better. The momentum was really there.”

Looking ahead to 2022, McLaughlin is clearly aiming for his first IndyCar win and moving solidly into the top 10 drivers.

He admitted he had difficulty in qualifying, something not helped by learning all-new tracks.

“I’m very hard on myself and put a lot of pressure on myself. I feel more comfortable, and more calm, for this next season,” he said.

“I’d love to finish in the top 10. I feel good enough to be in that spot.

“I think our race pace is genuinely good enough. We can finish high up at the front. I feel like I’m in my prime.”