Scott McLaughlin targets first Bathurst 1000 victory
It’s not often you get a free hit at Australia’s most iconic race but with a near-600-point championship lead, Scott McLaughlin will do whatever it takes to claim his first win on the mountain.
V8
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Scott McLaughlin will go all out for Bathurst glory with the Ford top gun declaring his 598-point championship lead will allow him to “win-it or bin-it’’ at Mount Panorama next month.
As the countdown to Bathurst begun with Fox Sports launching a 24-hour Supercars channel on Wednesday, the DJR/Team Penske pilot declared his back-to-back championship bid
would be put on hold in a whatever it takes bid to win his first Bathurst.
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“We have the luxury of being almost 600 points ahead in the championship,’’ McLaughlin
said.
“That is basically two rounds so I can afford to drop a round like Bathurst if it all goes wrong. I have the opportunity to throw the championship out the window and have an almighty crack.’’
A Bathurst crown is the glaring omission in McLaughlin’s bursting at the seams trophy
cabinet.
“Everybody knows this is the last box I need to tick,’’ McLaughlin said.
“I still have a lot of time to get it done and I don’t have to win it this year. But I have a fast car and I feel I have a very good shot.’’
Leading nearest rival Shane van Gisbergen by 598 points following his last start win in New
Zealand, McLaughlin is not concerned about the prospect of a crash at Bathurst in a mind-
set that will allow him to push for the win.
“It is more a luxury than a pressure release,’’ McLaughlin said.
“It means I do not have to worry about the championship when I go through all that thought
process stuff. It gives me a chance to just have a crack and it is nice to be able to go to
Bathurst thinking about the one race only. I am treating it as one race only which is cool.’’
McLaughlin’s breakthrough Bathurst bid will be broadcast in full HD with Fox Sports
announcing they will broadcast hours of live racing on a dedicating pop-up
channel.
Going live on October 7, Fox Sports will broadcast every session of the Bathurst 1000 in
HD with the 1000km race to run ad-free on Fox Sports 506.
Bathurst champions, including Jamie Whincup, Craig Lowndes and Mark Skaife, joined
McLaughlin in Sydney on Wednesday to launch the dedicated V8 channel.
“Bathurst is Grand Final day for Australian Motorsport,’’ said Head of Fox Peter Campbell.
“And Fox Sports, on Foxtel, is the ultimate place to watch all the action
unfold.
“We have a dedicated channel, starting on October 7, and are live from 7.30am on
race day, then completely ad-break free for the entirety of The Great Race from 11.30am
with the best commentary team in the business.
“It’s an event not to be missed.”