McLaughlin wants his BNT V8 SuperTourers crown back

Media release from BNT V8 SuperTourers

Friday 20 December

McLaughlin wants his BNT V8 SuperTourers crown back

Former BNT V8 SuperTourers champion Scott McLaughlin is out to reclaim his crown in 2014.

The 20-year-old Kiwi, who also races V8 Supercars, today confirmed that he will return for his third season in BNT V8 SuperTourers driving the Supercheap Holden Commodore with his family-run Scott McLaughlin Racing team.

While McLaughlin enjoyed a stellar debut season in the Supercars, winning races and being named Rookie of the Year, his New Zealand campaign was spoiled by crashes that were not his fault.

“It’s good to come back for another season,” he said. “This year wasn’t the best – we had some bad luck, but when we had luck we were pretty fast, as we showed at Pukekohe and Taupo and a few places.

“It’s just stringing a championship together – in 2012 we did that and in 2013 we didn’t. I reckon we can get that championship back.”

Competing in major championships on both sides of the Tasman has made 2013 a very busy year for the young Kiwi.

“It’s been pretty flat-out but I enjoy racing and going to different parts of the world. It’s pretty cool – not a bad job!”

McLaughlin has found it easy to switch back and forth between the two types of car, which have similar performance and now, since Supercars introduced their “Car of the Future”, similar technology with both categories using race-type chassis.

Testing is severely restricted in Supercars so McLaughlin, who was born in Christchurch and raised in Hamilton, relishes the chance to come home and hone his skills by racing in the BNT V8 SuperTourers championship.

“Obviously I’ll always be a Kiwi and it’s always good to come back home, racing in front of friends and family,” he said.

“My gran always comes down, and a few other people, so it’s always good like that. I like racing in Aussie as well but definitely New Zealand is close to home.”

As well as racing, McLaughlin has also been working for his Garry Rogers Motorsport team as a sheet-metal fabricator and he expects to finish his apprenticeship in that trade early next year.

By about the middle of the year expects to finish up in the workshop, and then his hectic schedule should be easier to handle.

ENDS

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