Bathurst furore puts damper on Scott McLaughlin’s Supercars championship celebrations
Sunday night should have seen Scott McLaughlin celebrate one of the Superars champion’s greatest triumphs – but the man set to win back-to-back crowns could manage little more than a limp fist pump.
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No hugs or high fives.
No champagne.
In fact, there was no celebration at all after Scott McLaughlin became just the 10th driver in history to win back-to-back V8 crowns.
Surviving a Sandown 500 slugfest to claim the Supercars’ title with a round to spare, McLaughlin’s championship party was unceremoniously crashed by a fresh Bathurst 1000 charge that has cast doubt on his all-conquering season.
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The Ford flyer refused to celebrate what should have been one of his greatest triumphs after the revelation that his Mount Panorama triumph was part-powered by an illegal engine.
“Right now we are subdued because we know we have another one we want to win,’’ McLaughlin said.
“It will be nice to roll into Newcastle with a full head of steam and be relaxed about it in some ways.’’
In a bombshell that was delivered just hours before the start of the Sandown 500, McLaughlin was stripped of his Bathurst qualifying win and top-ten shootout victory after DJR/Team Penske were found guilty of breaking engine regulations at Bathurst.
📺 Sandown 500 Highlights!
— FOX MOTORSPORT (@Fox_Motorsport) November 10, 2019
âœ”ï¸ Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes take it out
âœ”ï¸ Scott McLaughlin clinches the 2019 Supercars Championship pic.twitter.com/dldrNm70Az
Already reeling from a team orders charge that could have seen McLaughlin stripped of his Mount Panorama win, DJR/Team Penske were also fined $30,000 for their second Bathurst breach.
McLaughlin was forced to fight his way from the back of the grid to claim his second straight title after also having his Sandown 500 qualifying result stripped as part of the punishment.
The Kiwi acknowledged his second straight championship with nothing more than a subdued fist pump after he fought through the field to finish the race won by Jamie Whincup in ninth place.
“It has been a pretty tough month,’’ McLaughlin said.
“Obviously things have happened. We will just push on as a team and I am so proud of everyone. We still want to do a good job for our sponsors and our partners and thanks to all the fans and it has been an awesome ride all year.’’
McLaughlin will not be awarded the championship trophy until the after the season ending Newcastle 500, beginning November 22.
Originally published as Bathurst furore puts damper on Scott McLaughlin’s Supercars championship celebrations