Young Kiwi race ace Scott McLaughlin went from agony to ecstasy at Hampton Downs today when he dominated the opening race of the fourth round of the V8 SuperTourer championship.
McLaughlin bounced back from a disastrous Manfeild round in April when reliability issues forced the MPC Supercheap team to withdraw the cars but he backed up pole position in Hampton Downs qualifying with his first win in the championship.
A nervous start saw him lose the lead to third placed grid starter Andy Knight in the Gulf Oil Ford but he quickly re-established himself in front on lap two with a great pass on Knight at Turn 4. That left him with a clear track ahead of him and as Andy Booth fought to pass Knight, McLaughlin made his getaway with a series of fast laps in the low 1 minute 4 second bracket which no other driver could match at that stage. From lap five he had a four second lead and never looked back.
In front of a very nervous team, McLaughlin eased the car home in the final few laps to guarantee the win and took a clean sheet for the day by bagging the points for fastest lap as well - secured on lap seven during a sequence of laps that were more like qualifying laps.
Booth, so quick here on Friday and at the first round in February, could not get past Knight quick enough to challenge for the lead, though when he did he too consistently lapped in the mid 1 minute 4 second bracket. Under pressure late in the race from points leader Jonny Reid, he closed the gap by half a second to McLaughlin, but never made a serious impression.
Reid had by far the most eventful race of the top three, getting hit on the first corner and losing plenty of time from his front row start. The delay left him in a pack with none other than John McIntyre and Greg Murphy - all three fighting for points with the Sprint Series part of the new championship up for grabs this weekend. That he was able to work his way through a competitive pack and emerge in third, with the pace to worry Booth in the later stages, is testament to the former A1GP ace's skills, and he will start Sunday as favourite for the sprint title.
Team mate Ant Pedersen - racing competitively in the same group early on - had gearbox issues which left him stranded by the side of the track and out of the running. Greg Murphy had a good race to move up from eighth on the grid to fourth at the flag, with John McIntyre hot on his heels in fifth. The top ten was rounded out by Kayne Scott in sixth, Paul Manuell in seventh, Andre Heimgartner in eighth, Knight in ninth and Steve Richards in tenth.
Debutants Angus Fogg and Daniel Gaunt ran together in the race before contact spun Foggy to the back of the grid and earned Gaunt a drive through penalty in the Tasman Motorsports car. They brought up the rear of the field in 13th and 14th.
Going into Sunday's final day of racing in the 2012 V8 SuperTourer sprint championship, Reid (1851) leads John McIntyre (1749) by 102 points with Greg Murphy in third on 1425 points.
V8SuperTourers Round 4 (Mike Pero 250), Hampton Downs, Meremere
Race one – 20 laps (top ten)
Pos, Name, Hometown, Car, Laps, Total time
1, Scott McLaughlin, Gold Coast, Holden Commodore VE, 21:40.491
2, Andy Booth, Auckland, Holden Commodore VE, 21:43.209
3, Jonny Reid, Auckland, Ford Falcon FG, 21:44.110
4, Greg Murphy, Melbourne, Holden Commodore VE, 21:45.848
5, John McIntyre, Nelson, Ford Falcon FG, 21:53.583
6, Kayne Scott, Hamilton, Holden Commodore VE, 21:55.908
7, Paul Manuell, Pukekohe, Holden Commodore VE, 21:56.108
8, Andre Heimgartner, Auckland, Holden Commodore VE, 21:56.370
9, Andy Knight, Christchurch, Ford Falcon FG, 22:00.120
10, Steven Richards, Melbourne, Ford Falcon FG, 22:00.479
V8SuperTourers Round 4 (Mike Pero 250), Hampton Downs, Meremere
Qualifying (top ten)
Pos, Name, Hometown, Car, Laps, Best lap
1, Scott McLaughlin, Gold Coast, Holden Commodore VE, 1:03.829
2, Jonny Reid, Auckland, Ford Falcon FG, 1:03.918
3, Andy Knight, Christchurch, Ford Falcon FG, 1:04.181
4, Kayne Scott, Hamilton, Holden Commodore VE, 1:04.192
5, Andy Booth, Auckland, Holden Commodore VE, 1:04.278
6, Ant Pedersen, Auckland, Ford Falcon FG, 1:0.4.294
7, Andre Heimgartner, Auckland, Holden Commodore VE, 1:04.379
8, Greg Murphy, Melbourne, Holden Commodore VE, 1:04.389
9, John McIntyre, Nelson, Ford Falcon FG, 1:04.401
10, Paul Manuell, Pukekohe, Holden Commodore VE, 1:04.406
