McLean gives back to local karters

Matt Mclean has given back to young North Queensland karters, hosting a one-on-one Q&A at the NTI Townsville 500.

Eight young fans received the ultimate behind-the-scenes tour at the Reid Park Street Circuit as part of the Dunlop Grid Kids program.

Local karters spent the weekend trackside in Townsville before stepping onto the grid for the Repco Supercars Championship and Dunlop Super2 Series.

Treated to behind-the-scenes access, the Grid Kids took part in garage tours with Team 18 and Walkinshaw Andretti United as well as team meet-and-greets.

Sunday afternoon also included a one-on-one Q&A with reigning Mike Kable Award winner McLean.

The Eggleston Motorsport driver attended the third round of Dunlop Series despite not competing across the weekend.

Instead, the Melbourne-based driver became part of his team's pit crew, in between media commitments.

“It’s great to give back and be able to inspire the next generation of karters,” McLean told Supercars.com.

“I wish I would have had something like this when I was going through the ranks.

“It’s great for the kids to experience a live event and see what is possible if you follow your dreams.”

The opportunity comes as part of the Dunlop Grid Kids Program, in conjunction with Queensland karting clubs.

Now in its fourth year, the program provides young karters aged between 12 and 15 a money-can’t-buy experience at Supercars events.

"Seeing inside the team’s garages was really cool," Cruz said.

"Meeting all the drivers was fun and I liked being close to the cars.”

The Dunlop Grid Kids Program is the first stepping stone on a development pathway for young motorsport enthusiasts.

The program provides the future talent of motorsport a glimpse into the Supercars paddock.

It comes as Dunlop celebrates its 21st year as the control tyre of Supercars championship.

For the latest updates on the Dunlop Grid Kids Program, like and follow Dunlop’s social channels.

Tickets for the OTR SuperSprint are on sale through Supercars.com and Ticketek.