MCLAUGHLIN HEADS MOSTERT IN ANOTHER MUSTANG 1-2

Scott McLaughlin took his 15th win of the season in Race 21 of the 2019 Virgin Australia Supercar Championship at The Bend today. Anton dePasquale finished a distant 3rd in his Penrite sponsored Commodore as the Red Bull Holden Racing Team continued to struggle in their efforts to re-assert themselves at the front of the field.

Chaz Mostert started the race from pole position, though it was McLaughlin who made the better start and led down the front straight and then moved across to take the inside line on the approach towards turn 1. McLaughlin held just enough of an advantage over the Supercheap Auto Mustang to establish a lead that he maintained to the end of the race.

Macauley Jones was turned around after contact from Thomas Randle at the first turn, while Shane van Gisbergen was forced wide at the same corner after a brush with Facial Coulthard. Will Davison, Simona De Silvestro and Todd Hazelwood’s race came to an abrupt end during the course of the opening lap. Contact between Rick Kelly and James Courtney spun Davison into the path of De Silvestro and Hazelwood.

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The leading Mustang pair quickly gapped the field as DePasquale drifted back towards Mark Winterbottom, Andre Heimgartner and Cameron Waters. Jamie Whincup was the first of the main group to stop for tyres and while he made initially made progress up the field he struggled for grip in the latter stages of the race and finished just outside the top 10.

Chaz Mostert also stopped early and looked to take the lead with the undercut, while McLaughlin covered the move a lap later. Mostert did manage to close the gap, however a slow rear tyre change proved to be a critical moment in the pitstop cycle.

Scott McLaughlin held a comfortable cushion of just over a second to Chaz Mostert for most of the race then skipped away as Mostert conserved his Mustang and a marginal fuel load in the closing stages of the race. Mclaughlin took the win from Mostert and dePasquale. Mark Winterbottom, Andre Heimgartner, Shane van Gisbergen, David Reynolds, Nick Percat, Cameron Waters and James Courtney completed the top 10.

“I knew the start was going to be the key and that was probably the best start for me for the year. That was just hooked up and got going,” McLaughlin exclaimed.

“He kind of out-grunted me … the launch and all that was OK but I just couldn’t go in a straight line with that thing,” Mostert said. “I was able to keep the gap for most of the race with him so I’m pretty positive, I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”

“I think there was plenty but just being cautious, you never want to come across the last couple of corners and have a big cough,” Mostert said of the late fuel issue. “The guys know their numbers but they are never 100 percent, so yeah ,when the alarm is flashing at you, you just back out of it.”

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