McLaughlin: 'We're out to win on Sunday'
28 Feb 2015
Scott McLaughlin has admitted he did jump the start of race two at the Clipsal 500, but has vowed the two ensuing penalties that dumped him from the podium will not dilute his burning ambition to win the V8 Supercars Championship in 2015.
The Wilson Security Volvo Polestar Racing S60 driver ended the day only 22nd in the championship after missing Race One altogether because of a spectacular engine issue and then copping two 10 second penalties in Race Two that eventually dropped him from third on the road to ninth.
But on Sunday he has the chance for immediate redemption in the 250km double points Race Three, which awards 150 points to the inner.
"At the end of the day we are just going to try and win the thing," he told v8suupercars.com.au. "But we need to make sure we are there tomorrow and finish."
"If we can have a really good result tomorrow, even just a top five to get us back on track. That's would move us up to 12th or 13th in the championship depending on how other people go.
"But at least we won't be too far away."
McLaughlin has spoken bullishly over the summer of his ambition to win the 2015 championship and that remains undiluted by Saturday's setbacks.
"At the end of the day it's the first round of the year and we have a fast car, so it's not like we were slow," he said. "We were strong here last year and it sucks we haven't capitalised.
"But most of the other tracks we were strong as well, so it's all about just getting on with it.
"I still think we can win the championship."
The 21-year old said he had expected a penalty after his Race Two start, which fired him into the lead from second place on the grid ahead of polesitter Jamie Whincup in the Red Bull Racing Australia Holden Commodore VF.
"My gut feel is yes ... in my opinion yes," he responded when asked if he jumped the start.
"I noticed Jamie had moved a little bit and that put me a little bit on edge. So I got to the bite point quicker than I wanted to, which heated up the clutch.
"And it started sort of going on me and I sort of had to get into it. I thought there must be an investigation, but after about 10 laps I thought 'we have got away with this'."
Instead, he was handed a 10 second pitlane penalty which the team chose to serve in a safety car period, which isn't legal under championship rules.
As a result McLaughlin was handed a further 10 second penalty added to his race time, which dropped him from third on the road to ninth in the results, costing him 22 championship points.
Team owner Garry Rogers indicated during the race - to the raucous cheers of the crowd - his unhappiness with the penalties, and afterwards said he was considering "other ways" to see if the second 10 second penalty can be rescinded.
He would not explain what those "other ways" might be.
"I hope he does because it would help my championship," McLaughlin said.
The situation for McLaughlin was alleviated somewhat by Whincup's puncture, which dropped him from a winning position to 21st in Race Two.
McLaughlin admitted he considered staging a protest by parking the third place finishing spot after the race, but thought better of it. He also consciously chose to curb his tongue.
"I pretty much told the boys I was going to pull up there (third) in protest, but rules are rules so I pulled in.
"I just didn't want to look like an idiot. Rules are rules, and once it's done it's done. If there is an appeal the boys will look after it. I can't do anything about it.
"The best thing about it is I probably had one of the best races I have ever driven. It was fun and it was awesome.
"Dummy spitting and throwing chairs you are just going to look like a muppet."
