Darwin Supercars: Coulthard mistake hands McLaughlin victory
Scott McLaughlin cruised to a fifth season win in the second heat of the Darwin Triple Crown, after an early challenge from teammate Fabian Coulthard was thwarted by a costly mistake.
The race started out as a battle between the two Penske Fords, Coulthard getting the better launch to lead McLaughlin into Turn 1.
Coulthard then had the pace to gap the points leader by the best part of a second, before pitting for fresh softs on the right-hand side of his car on Lap 6.
At that point McLaughlin dropped the hammer, a scorching in-lap helping him take on two tyres himself and emerge just in front of Coulthard.
While Coulthard may have had the tyre temperature to re-claim the lead, he threw that opportunity away by locking up and running wide as he followed McLaughlin into Turn 1, which dropped him back to third behind Jamie Whincup.
That was effectively job done for McLaughlin, with an easy run home to bank a fifth race win of the season.
"I'm glad we could bounce back," said McLaughlin, referencing his penalty yesterday.
"Great start by Fabs; it was like my best start I've done for a long time, but he absolutely smashed me. Big in-lap, the boys' pitstop was amazing, got in front, and then I saw Fabs run wide. I got a bit lucky there, but overall I'm really proud."
While he had no answer for McLaughlin, Whincup was able to gap Coulthard as the race went on. He finished up a lonely second, 1.4s behind a cruising race winner, and almost 6s clear of third.
Coulthard was equally lonely by the finish, his gap back to fourth more than 5s.
The battle for fourth was significantly closer, with Shane van Gisbergen and David Reynolds doing battle in the closing stages.
Reynolds was the only driver not to make an early stop, the Erebus driver holding the on-track lead for much of the race thanks to a long first stint.
He finally pitted 10 laps from home, coming out in sixth behind van Gisbergen and Nick Percat. With the better rubber Reynolds was able to clear Percat, but couldn't find a way past van Gisbergen as the pair staged a tense nose-to-tail battle to the flag.
Percat was sixth after dropping back to Race 1 winner Anton De Pasquale in the closing stages, with Chaz Mostert, Cam Waters and Andre Heimgartner rounding out the Top 10.
Darwin Triple Crown - Race 2 results:
| Cla | # | Driver | Car | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 17 |  Scott McLaughlin | Ford Mustang GT | 1'06.415 |
| 2 | 12 | Fabian Coulthard | Ford Mustang GT | 1'06.441 |
| 3 | 99 |  Anton De Pasquale | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'06.676 |
| 4 | 88 | Jamie Whincup | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'06.715 |
| 5 | 8 | Nick Percat | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'06.728 |
| 6 | 7 | Andre Heimgartner | Ford Mustang GT | 1'06.755 |
| 7 | 97 | Shane van Gisbergen | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'06.839 |
| 8 | 9 | David Reynolds | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'06.862 |
| 9 | 18 | Mark Winterbottom | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'06.895 |
| 10 | 25 | Chaz Mostert | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'06.897 |
| 11 | 20 | Scott Pye | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'06.899 |
| 12 | 44 | James Courtney | Ford Mustang GT | 1'06.904 |
| 13 | 6 | Cameron Waters | Ford Mustang GT | 1'06.924 |
| 14 | 15 | Rick Kelly | Ford Mustang GT | 1'06.994 |
| 15 | 55 | Jack Le Brocq | Ford Mustang GT | 1'07.034 |
| 16 | 3 | Macauley Jones | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'07.105 |
| 17 | 5 | Lee Holdsworth | Ford Mustang GT | 1'07.141 |
| 18 | 19 | Alex Davison | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'07.212 |
| 19 | 22 | Chris Pither | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'07.265 |
| 20 | 34 | Jake Kostecki | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'07.306 |
| 21 | 14 | Todd Hazelwood | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'07.324 |
| 22 | 35 | Garry Jacobson | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'07.367 |
| 23 | 2 | Bryce Fullwood | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'07.473 |
| 24 | 4 | Jack Smith | Holden Commodore ZB | 1'07.741 |
| View full results | ||||
Previous article
Darwin Supercars: McLaughlin clean sweeps Sunday poles
Next article
2020 Supercars Darwin Triple Crown race results
About this article
| Series | Supercars |
| Event | Hidden Valley |
| Author | Andrew van Leeuwen |
Sam Brabham drives BT-19 at Mount Panorama
Todd Kelly builds André's Bathurst 1000 engine
Can DJR still be a Supercars powerhouse after Penske?
Roger Penske's whirlwind Australian Supercars sojourn is over. After six seasons, three drivers' titles, three teams' championships and a Bathurst 1000 crown, The Captain has sold his controlling stake in Dick Johnson Racing back to the squad and walked away from the category.
Can Whincup be Triple Eight's ruthless leader?
Supercars' most successful team of the past 15 years is set for a radical shakeup next year when Jamie Whincup retires from driving and takes over the reins at Triple Eight. But does he have what it takes to be the new Roland Dane?
How a lifetime Supercars deal broke down in one year
David Reynolds inked what was effectively a lifetime deal with Erebus in 2019 – only to walk out a year later. What went wrong?
Why Supercars now needs a new "human salt harvester"
Scott McLaughlin has been a controversial figure in Supercars over the past few years but, as he heads off to a fresh challenge in IndyCar, the Australian tin-top series needs to find someone else to fill his drama-filled boots as the category enters a new era...
Why 2020 isn't McLaughlin's greatest title
Scott McLaughlin was quick to describe his third Supercars title as his best yet. But even though it didn't match the dramatic backstory of his 2018 triumph, there's a good reason for him wanting to control the narrative this time around.
Why a Bathurst finale is risky business for Supercars
The Bathurst Grand Final may provide Supercars its greatest spectacle yet – but there's a risk it will force the series to face a hard truth.
Why Scott McLaughlin must become an IndyCar driver
Scott McLaughlin, two-time and current Supercars champion, should have been making his NTT IndyCar Series debut for Team Penske at the GP of Indianapolis, but the Covid-19 pandemic forced a rescheduling that has put the brakes on his career switch. But David Malsher-Lopez explains why the New Zealander deserves this opportunity as soon as possible.
Tickford's 10-year wait for James Courtney
When the Supercars season resumes James Courtney will be a Tickford Racing driver – but it's not the first time the star driver has flirted with the famous Ford squad.
