MEDIA RELEASE 29/9/2013
FOR IMMEDIATE USE
Comeback Hopes Dashed For Mcglaughlin Enduro Partnership
A thrilling second place finish to Race Two of the V8SuperTourer Endurance opener came purely as consolation for
Supercheap Auto Racing’s Scott McLaughlin and Jonathan Webb at Hampton Downs Motorsport Park this afternoon, being
shunted from second position on the grid in Race Three to end the comeback hopes of what had otherwise been an
encouraging weekend for the duo.
The collision with third position starter Andrew Waite caused severe damage with heavy frontal impact being sustained
after being forced off the track at turn nine in a battle for corner position with fellow Holden driver Tim Edgell.
The spar with Edgell in the Chester’s Plumbing and Bathroom Holden occurred only one lap into lap into Race Three,
ending what had been a relatively damage-free weekend for the premier V8 racing series in New Zealand.
After watching the damaged Holden return to pit lane, a gutted Scott McLaughlin said “It was tough out there what
happened to Jono, stakes we’re high it’s just disappointing that it’s happened so early on. Despite our best efforts to
set up a promising end to the weekend - these hopes were just dashed too early.”
The additional damage and repair bill comes after team owner and father of Scott McLaughlin, Wayne McLaughlin recently
noted the team had to come to terms with a frustrating year due to the heavy cost of repairs suffered from multiple
impacts over the course of the 2013 season.
The team will now return the wounded Supercheap Holden to its workshop based in Hamilton, where damage will be assessed
to confirm if a return to the series for the next endurance round at Hampton Downs will be possible in just three weeks.
“Without a doubt we’d love to get back out there in October - Jono and I proved that the car was worthy of a top spot
finish this weekend, and it’s purely bad luck that we’re battling this season. We don’t want that to stop us, and we’re
keen to shake whatever seems to be plaguing us at the moment off and finish the season on a high we know we can
achieve.”
“I think everyone can see it’s the racing not the driving that took us out of contention today and we’ll just have to
take the next week to see if returning to Hampton is possible - we’ll be sure to let our fans know as soon as a call can
be made.”
McLaughlin and Webb certainly have the support of the New Zealand V8 fans behind them - the young and skilled duo had
race goers on their feet in race two of the day, when McLaughlin put his determined talent to work.
Fighting back from what initially was a 10 second lead held by P1, McLaughlin passed both Shane van Gisbergen (3rd),
and Ant Pedersen (2nd) in the last quarter of the 56 lap race to finish second - closing the gap on Tim Edgell and Lee
Holdsworth to just three seconds.
Visiting Australian and Tekno Autosports co-driver Jono Webb was unhurt in the impact and walked away from the wreckage
head-in-hand knowing the severity of the damage, and position the team now faces in finishing the season with hopes of
defending the 2012 title.
An investigation has been launched to determine the fault of the incident, looking at whether racing conduct by Edgell
is deemed to be the reason for Webb leaving the track. At the time of this release a determination on this had not
been released by race officials.
Both McLaughlin and Webb will return to Australia in coming days to switch sights to the quickly approaching Bathurst
1000 – McLaughlin pairing up for the challenge at Fujitsu Racing alongside Jack Perkins and Webb with Van Gisbergen for
the Queensland based Tekno team.
The team reiterated at the close of proceedings today that as soon as a decision has been made as to whether they will
be able to make the next V8 SuperTourer round, fans and public will be notified.
ENDS