Scott McLaughlin
- June 10, 1993
- 31
- New Zealand
- Supercars Championship
- 377
- DJR Team Penske
- 59
- 135
- 64
- 47
- 15.65%
- 35.81%
Scott McLaughlin is a racing driver from New Zealand and a double champion of the Australian Supercars Championship in 2018 and 2019. He won both titles while driving Fords for DJR Team Penske. At Bathurst 1000, his best result is a victory in 2019.
Before joining his current team in 2017, McLaughlin spent four seasons driving Holden Commodore and Volvo S60 for Garry Rogers Motorsport.
Scott was born in June 1993 and he scored his maiden V8 Supercars victory in 2013 at Pukekohe Park Raceway, becoming the youngest ever race winner in the history of the championship. In 2012, before entering Supercars full time, he was the champion in the inaugural season of the New Zealander V8 SuperTourer Championship. In the same year, he was the Dunlop V8 Supercar Series champion.
Scott was the youngest ever V8 Supercar driver
Scott McLaughlin started his racing career at the age of 8. As a teenager, McLaughlin was a successful competitor in different karting competitions in New Zealand and Australia. He left karting in 2010 to enter the Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series with Stone Brothers Racing. At the age 16, he became the youngest ever V8 Supercar driver.
The kid from Christchurch was driving the #93 Ford BF Falcon for Stone Brothers Racing, finishing 12th in the points in his V8 Supercar debut season. Besides driving Ford Falcon, Scott participated in few races of the Mini Challenge and Formula Ford, but he was already decided that V8s are his future.
Scott started to win races in 2011
Between seasons 2010 and 2011, Scott participated in the New Zealander V8 Series, driving a Holden Commodore for Nigel Barclay's Racing Project. He won one race, at Taupo Motorsport Park in March 2011, to finish 8th in the championship.
The maiden V8 Supercar victory in Australia came in the third round of the 2011 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series, at Queensland Raceway. Still driving Ford Falcon for Stone Brothers Racing, Scott added three more podiums to his account, finishing the season in fourth place.
Two championship titles in 2012
The season was super successful for McLaughlin. He continued to drive #93 Ford Falcon for Stone Brothers and Matt Stone Racing in the Dunlop V8 Supercar Series. He scored four wins and twelve podiums and became the champion, ahead of Scott Pye and Chaz Mostert.
In his homeland, McLaughlin competed in the inaugural season of the V8 SuperTourer Championship, driving the #93 Holden Commodore for MPC Motorsport. The series was divided to the Sprint championship, where he was 3rd, and the Endurance championship, where he was second. Scoring a total of six wins, he became the outright champion. McLaughlin's co-driver in endurance races was Jonathon Webb.
V8 Supercars Championship debut at 2012 Sandown 500
Scott's dream came true in September 2012, when he had a debut in the V8 Supercars Championship. He debuted at Sandown 500 as a co-driver to Jonathon Webb in Tekno Autosports' #19 Holden. They finished in 10th place. Soon after that, McLaughlin debuted at Bathurst 1000, finishing in the sixth place.
McLaughlin had one unplanned V8SC participation in 2012, replacing Alexandre Premat in the last race of the season at Sydney's Homebush street circuit. He drove the #33 Holden to 17th-place finish.
The youngest ever V8 Supercars winner
For the 2013 V8 Supercars Championship season, McLaughlin was signed by Garry Rogers Motorsport as a full-time driver in the #33 Holden VF Commodore, alongside Alexandre Premat as a teammate in #34 car. McLaughlin's endurance co-driver was Jack Perkins.
In the third championship round, at New Zealand's Pukekohe Park, McLaughlin scored a sensational victory in front of his home crowd, becoming the youngest ever driver to win a V8 Supercar race. Later in the season, he added one more win (Queensland Raceway) to his account, finishing 10th in the final standings, nine positions ahead of his teammate. In 2013, Scott also participated in the V8 SuperTourer series with his own team, finishing in the fifth place.
Four wins with Volvo S60 in 2014
For the 2014 V8SC season, Garry Rogers Motorsport made a deal with Volvo to become a factory team of the Swedish manufacturer. Scott remained in the #33 car, switching a number to Volvo S60. In the season-opening Clipsal 500, McLaughlin scored a maiden podium for Volvo. He took the first pole position at Winton and then the first victory at Barbagallo Raceway. It was the first V8SC win for Volvo since 1986.
Later in the season, McLaughlin scored three more wins (Sydney Motorsports Park, Phillip Island twice) to finish fifth in the championship standings. His endurance co-driver was Alexandre Premat. Their best result was the second place in Sunday's race of Gold Coast 600.
Two more seasons with Volvo
In 2015, McLaughlin scored no wins in his second season with #33 Volvo. He was on a podium five times, finishing 8th in the final standings. Alexandre Premat was his endurance co-driver again. In four races, their best result was 5th place at Bathurst 1000.
The season 2016 was much more successful for Scott and Volvo. McLaughlin was among the race winners again, scoring two wins with #33 Volvo, both in the Phillip Island SuperSprint, both starting from pole position. His endurance co-driver was David Wall, they scored two podiums at Gold Coast 600. Until the end of the season, McLaughlin collected nine podiums to finish third in the championship standings, behind Red Bull drivers Shane van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup.
Class victory at 2016 Bathurst 12 Hour
While driving for Garry Rogers Motorsport in the V8 Supercars Championship, McLaughlin had occasional appearances in other competitions and racing disciplines, such were Porsche Carrera Cup Australia or Scandinavian Touring Car Championship.
In 2016, he gained a success at Bathurst 12 Hour race, taking Class B victory in Porsche 997 GT3 Cup of Grove Motorsport. His teammates in the #4 Porsche were Earl Bamber and Stephen Grove.
Collecting wins with DJR Team Penske
After four seasons with Garry Rogers Motorsport, McLaughlin moved to DJR Team Penske for the 2017 season, what was the biggest transfer between two championship seasons. He is driving the #17 Ford FG X Falcon, alongside Fabian Coulthard in the #12 car. Alexandre Premat is assigned as McLaughlin's endurance co-driver.
The first win with Ford came in the fourth round at Barbagallo Raceway and another one a day later at the same race track. The third win of the season, eleventh in a career, followed in the next round at Winton Motor Raceway. After three consecutive wins, McLaughlin has won five more times in 2017, finishing second in the points.
The fastest lap ever at Mount Panorama in 2017, Supercars champ in 2018
At 2017 Bathurst 1000, he started from pole after setting the fastest time ever (2.03.8312) at Mount Panorama for Supercars in qualifying. In the race, he was sharing a car with Alexandre Premat, retiring after 72 laps.
In the 2018 Supercars Championship season, McLaughlin was again among the front-runners, scoring nine wins in thirty races and taking the championship in a thrilling final battle against Shane van Gisbergen. In October, McLaughlin reached his maiden podium at Bathurst 1000, finishing in the third place together with Alexandre Premat.
Breaking the record in 2019, victory at Bathurst 1000
In 2019, Scott showed unprecedented domination in the championship and broke the record with most wins in one Supercars season. Over the season, he scored eighteen victories in the #17 Ford Mustang GT, including a victory at Bathurst 1000, where he was sharing a car with Alexandre Premat.
Big point-advantage allowed him to celebrate his second championship title in the penultimate round at Sandown Raceway.