Scott McLaughlin, Shane van Gisbergen planned for ultimate Kiwi dream team at Bathurst 12 Hour

There could have been an incredible Kiwi team for Sunday’s Bathurst 12 Hour race, with Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen putting aside their Supercars rivalry to team up.

Two of New Zealand’s top drivers, had a discussion during a media event late last year in the Auckland garage that once belonged to Kiwi icon Bruce McLaren about joining forces to try to win Australia’s biggest endurance race and to do it in a McLaren.

“At that McLaren day, myself and Shane spoke about this drive and really that’s where it started,” McLaughlin said.

“For it to happen at Bruce McLaren’s garage was ironic.

“To have my first GT drive in a McLaren is pretty special.

“I’m a very proud Kiwi, so to be able to do that in a New Zealand brand is cool, even though McLaren are pretty global now.”

Unfortunately a clash of sponsors meant that van Gisbergen and McLaughlin couldn’t team up for the big race at Mt Panorama, although they are both driving McLarens for the YNA Autosport team.

Van Gisbergen is with Craig Lowndes and Frenchman Come Ledogar in car No 58, while McLaughlin is racing in the Pro-Am category with Australian Fraser Ross, Andrew Watson from Ireland and Britain’s Alexander West.

“There were a couple of sponsor conflicts that didn’t enable me to pair up with Shane, which I really wanted to do,” McLaughlin said.

“It just didn’t work out, maybe one day it might and I’ll be in an all pro car, but I’m looking forward to this opportunity.

“Being in the Pro-Am, I’ll get a fair number of laps under my belt and we have a great line up to win the Pro-Am.”

McLaughlin holds the lap record in a Supercar around the Mt Panorama circuit with a time of 2:03.8312 around the 6.213km circuit.

But van Gisbergen hold the overall lap record at 2:01.5670, done in a McLaren 650S GT3 in qualifying at the 2016 Bathurst 12 Hour.

McLaughlin says there are parts of the iconic track where the cars are driven differently.

“They’re vehicles that require finesse at different points of the track,” he said.

“The aero is massive on the McLaren compared to the Supercar.

“But the Supercar is fast in the straight and that’s where it makes up the time.

“It’s going to be about trying to flow the car, very similar to a V8, but it has a lot more grip and you have to get used to it.”

McLaughlin feels the Bathurst 12 race is a nice way to kickstart his year. It’s another step in moving away from what was a dreadfully disappointing end to the 2017 Supercars season, where he lost the title to Jamie Whincup, in part because of a controversial pit lane penalty given to him in the final race of the season in Newcastle.

It was understandably an incredibly disappointing moment for McLaughlin and not something that anyone could get over quickly.

“To be honest, it was nice to get New Years out of the way, so I could turn a page, move on and now I can look forward,” he said.

“The 12-Hour race to kick start my racing again is really cool, so I can get on with it.

“I’m trying to look forward as much as I can, without looking backwards.”

Once the Bathurst 12 Hour is out of the way, his focus will be back on Supercars, where he’ll settle for nothing less than a championship with DJR Team Penske.

“Already a lot of work has been done over the break,” he said.

“The cars have been completely stripped down, repainted and look a million dollars.

“For us as a squad, it’s all guns blazing and certainly we’re looking forward and there are a couple of things we’ve got to tick off the list.

“There is unfinished business for us, so we’ve got to press on.”

 – Stuff

Source :Stuff.co.nz

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