Scott McLaughlin opens up about his incredible Supercars career

The feud between Scott McLaughlin and Dave Reynolds is getting more intense as the Supercars guns battle it out. Read the full Q&A with ROBERT CRADDOCK here.

Scott McLaughlin is looking to go back-to-back in the Supercars championship. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

It’s not just the New Zealand cricket team who are making the earth quake this year.

New Zealand’s Brisbane-based driver Scott McLaughlin is dominating the Virgin Supercar Championship after winning it last year. He recently put together a six race winning streak which ended in Townsville last weekend in a race in which he had a fiery clash with fellow driver Dave Reynolds.

McLaughlin talks about the broken man he was when he saw the championship slip through his fingers two years ago, how he felt unrated by critics and fans earlier in his career, and how he found his way back to the top of the podium.

Scott McLaughlin as a 15-year-old with his Formula 3 go-kart.

Can you remember the feeling you had when you first sat in a motorised vehicle with your hands on the steering?

I was six and it was a kart. I just remember the distinct smell of a go-kart. That two stroke smell. I really liked it. It was a cold morning. We warmed up the engines. It was just a hobby then. I just loved it.

Are top drivers born or made?

I think you are born with some natural talent. In my case I had to work very hard to get to the point where I am now. When I started driving in the Supercar series when I was 16 I didn’t know anything. I had to change a lot of things.

Scott McLaughlin, David Reynolds and Jamie Whincup all have very different personalities. Picture: Keri Megelus

There seems to be no prototype of character that makes a good driver in that you have the super-intense Jamie Whincup and Dave Reynolds who at times seems as mad a hatter.

We are all a bit nuts in some way. The speed we drive at. But you are right. Jamie is intense, Dave a bit of an idiot and I guess I am a bit half and half, intense when the helmet goes on but away from it just comfortable with who I am.

Is there one common trait every driver has?

We are all good with the sponsors and the media. We need to fund our careers and knock on the next door neighbours door or the shop down the road and sell ourselves. And we are very conscious of not doing those things which create bad stories because their could be consequences for our careers.

McLaughlin was sponsored by Fujitsu from an early age.

I read a story when you were a teenager one season the cost of you racing was $590,000. That’s a big lick for a kid starting out, isn’t it?

I was lucky when I was 16 I was sponsored by Fujitsu and they spent $500,000 with me every year for three years just funding my career. That $590,000 was the bill for the Dunlop series we did at the time. These days it would be eight to 10 million dollars to run a Super Car team.

You won the title last year after famously having a shattering last day which cost you the title the year before. Was that heartbreak the making of you?

I learnt a lot. I had taken a lot of things for granted. It was a character building year. As much as I hated that time I am glad I had it. It taught me a lot not just about motor sport but life.

Did you actually cry at any point?

Oh yes. I broke down the night it happened when I got back to the hotel. Twenty four hours before I walked into the hotel and thinking “oh my god, I am going to win this … it’s everything I have worked for my whole life. My family have put me in this position.’’ Twenty four hours later I was lying on my bed crying and thinking “will that be the only chance I ever get?’’ I was embarrassed. I was a mess for a while. Not in a good way at all.

So you went to a wellness coach and are now mentally stronger?

Yes. That kind of stuff doesn’t work for everyone but it worked for me. I have learnt the mind is a muscle and I have trained it and I am stronger than I was. I was quite fragile. I started at a young age and I have always had doubters because no-one believed I could ever do it.

Scott McLaughlin and his dad, Wayne.

So you sensed early on that people did not have much faith in you even though you were sort of a boom youngster?

Yes I was the youngest ever in Supercars at 16 and I was heavily sponsored and people said I was a rich kid who was going to go nowhere. That was a time when Facebook was becoming pretty big and you are pretty young and vulnerable at that time. I believed some of the stuff thrown at me.

What about that day when you were on the radio to the pits and you said “what’s the cricket score’’?

I have always been a sport nut. I loved my AFL, my cricket and my rugby. We were racing on the World Cup final day (in 2015) when New Zealand were playing Australia.

McLaughlin leads the pack at Willowbank in 2013.

So who would you have supported if New Zealand had been playing Australia is this weekend’s World Cup final?

New Zealand. I have been here a while but I am always a Kiwi. I will be watching the final for sure. Glued to the screen.

What is the weirdest place your mind has gone when you are in the middle of a race?

Little things. I dabbled on a bit of a multi-bet on the AFL and I would ask the commentators how the games were going. I don’t do that much any more. When I am driving I always wonder what everyone is thinking of the race at home. My family. I had a tough race on the weekend and I wondered what my father would be thinking because he could be flipping out.

Scott McLaughlin celebrates his 2018 championship with sister Sammy, mum Dianne, fiance Karly and dad Wayne. Picture: Tim Hunter.

You are getting married to Karly in the United States. How are preparations going for the big day?

We are heading over to California and I always said if she moved out here for me I would return the favour and get married in the States so we are doing that in December.

Do you have any motor sport heroes outside the Supercars?

I was a big fan of (Spanish Formula One driver) Fernando Alonso just because of his tenacity. Just a massive competitor. Right now I really like (Monaco’s 21-year-old F1 driver) Charles Leclerc. He is younger than me yet I look up to him. I like the way he goes about his business. He’s modest even though he is an F1 driver for Ferrari and it would be easy for him to lose his head.

McLaughlin in his Mustang at Townsville. Picture: Daniel Kalisz/Getty Images

When drivers have a hot streak people always seem to give the car more credit than the driver. How do you feel about that?

You just have to thank your lucky stars. Sometimes you don’t have an opportunity to drive an amazing car. The last couple of years I have had that but it is a team sport and the amount of hours the guys work behind the scenes it is not hard to credit them. But you also know when you have done a good job.

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With Karly coming from the States, does that enhance your desire to go over there an compete in NASCAR?

Karly is very happy here and likes Australia and it really is a matter of whatever opportunities happen she will support it but certainly I have a desire to try something else, probably in America.

The Supercars seem to be broadening their popularity every year. Is there any place when the car craziness surprises?

The Newcastle race – even though it’s a grand final and there is a lot of hype about it – I was sceptical about it and whether they would like us but it has been unreal. Darwin and Townsville … regional venues and they love their cars. I would like to see more regional races.