McLeod looking to translate Le Mans momentum into title tilt

Cameron McLeod is confident that a sterling mid-season trip to Europe will be the boost that he needs to put himself back in the frame for the 2025 Dunlop Super2 Series.

Since the Dunlop Series last raced in Tasmania back in May, McLeod put his name on the world stage with a stunning performance at the inaugural Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational last month.

On the undercard of the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Queenslander claimed both race victories, beating Ford Performance-backed junior drivers from America in the process.

The 20-year-old's superb performances on sportscar racing's biggest stage came just weeks after a winning debut in the Supercar Challenge at Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium alongside Dutch teenager Valentijn Greven.

"Yeah it was definitely cool, I wasn't sure what I was expecting when I went in there and how I'd go," McLeod told Supercars.com.

"To go in there and win and qualify on pole, it was just so cool to represent Australia, and bring some of the talent from Australia overseas and show them up, which was really cool.

"A lot of support from Australia which was really, really cool, that was unexpected as well. Overall it was really, really good and I think has hopefully put something of me on the map for Ford as well, it's definitely really cool."

"Not only that, at Spa as well I raced a couple of weekends prior. I raced there in a GT4, and I won that, which was also super cool to race at Spa and win with Valentijn Greven.

"To go to Le Mans and win that was even better, so I won all of the races I did over there which is super cool, and it is a big confidence booster.

After claiming his first career Super2 win to open the season in Sydney, it was a tough weekend for the third-generation star in Tasmania, finishing a penalised 18th on Saturday and 11th on Sunday.

McLeod is now ninth in the standings, 129 points behind leader Rylan Gray, and says that the development series remains one of the toughest categories he has competed in.

"Obviously in the Super2 Series it's just so hard, and the competition is so up and down so you just don't know really how you're going to go until you get there and your qualifying and everything is settled.

"I'm looking for a good solid weekend, obviously you want to win, but I think with how it went last round I just want a solid top five or top three.

"I just want to bring it home, put a good show on for Supercars and the Super2 Series for my sponsors, that's the main program I want at the moment."

McLeod has always displayed tremendous speed in Townsville, starting with a head-turning performance in 2023 that saw him qualify a Super3 Nissan in fourth outright for the opening race of the weekend.

He repeated the trick last year, this time in a PremiAir Racing-backed Commodore ZB, before being taken out as an innocent bystander in the opening lap melee.

"Statistically I do go pretty good there, I'm not sure why I go so good there. It's kind of a balls to the wall track, and it's something that if you know how to drive a Supercar to that one percent, it definitely helps at tracks like those.

"I definitely have a lot of help from a few main game drivers who I've worked with to help me go fast around there, obviously last year we had speed, we just didn't quite have the luck when I got turned into the wall.

"I'm looking to just have a clean weekend, if the pace is there it'll be really cool to have pace and be up the front, that's kind of what I'm looking for. So is everyone else, that's why it's such a tough championship.

"Hopefully the pace will be there, and hopefully everything will go to plan."

Having already made his mark on the Dunlop Series to start the year, McLeod could play a big role in the final make-up of the Supercars Finals, as he teams up with Cameron Hill in the #4 Matt Stone Racing Camaro for the Enduro Cup.

Hill is in the midst of the battle to make the field of 10 who will duke it out for the championship from the Gold Coast onwards, and McLeod is acutely aware of the role co-drivers will play in the Finals chase.

"Yeah, no pressure. Last year when I did it, there were no Finals or anything like that, so I was kind of there just for my first go and bringing it home, there wasn't much real pressure.

"Now I don't want to put too much pressure on myself, but I've actually got to do something and help Cam out a fair bit.

"Obviously that's what I want to do, and MSR have put their faith in me to do that. Definitely that endurance stuff overseas would've helped a lot, just those longer races staying concentrated.

"You can't be as fit to drive a Supercar as anything else, so definitely keeping the fitness up and things like sauna work which [Paul] Forgie got me onto.

"The team is awesome, Cam's doing a mega job so far, I'm cheering him along all the way, so is the team, and I haven't worked with many teams in pit lane, but they're definitely a really good team with a good crew and they all work together very well.

"I'm keen to keep working with him, and hopefully help Cam out, and help the team out a fair bit, so that's my job."

The 2025 Dunlop Super2 Series continues at the NTI Townsville 500 from July 11-13. Tickets for the event are on sale now.