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Scott McLaughlin scored two wins in the BP Supercars All Stars Eseries opener but had doubts he’d make it to the chequered flag in the final.
Sporting his Shell V-Power Racing Team socks and racing from home in Brisbane, McLaughlin led a one-two for the team in Race 1 at Phillip Island with team-mate Fabian Coulthard in tow.
The two-time Supercars champion backed up that effort with a run to fifth-place in Race 2, lucky not to get taken out in a Lap 1 crash.
Race 3 at Monza was a frenetic affair, which was punctuated by several large crashes on the first lap that led to the Safety Car being deployed for the first time in the Eseries.
McLaughlin managed to come away from the first lap relatively unscathed with the lead of the race. However, he pitted under Safety Car and duly lost top spot.
Having fallen to the back of the top 10, McLaughlin began to push his way through the field, nearly taking out his team-mate in the process.
The final half of the race was spent agonising over fuel use with DJR Team Penske engineer Richard Harris giving McLaughlin fuel numbers to the end of the 18-lap race.
Still, McLaughlin pushed on and eventually passed Cameron Waters to get the race lead with only a handful of laps remaining.
McLaughlin maintained a slim margin over Waters as they crossed the line to begin the last lap with only just enough fuel to get him to the finish.
Ultimately, McLaughlin managed to hold on and claim his second win of the night.
“It was pretty tight there because we just didn’t know how many laps there were until the end,” McLaughlin said after the race.
“We had to take a pit stop. We were able to get away with it and save the fuel until the end, I’m really happy with that.
“There were a few bust-ups. I went out there and got some dogs, that’s our motto. It’s been full-on.
“Just trying to get the lead and out of the crap and through the esses, that was ideal and we got away with it.”
McLaughlin said he enjoyed the three-race event that he hoped would bring the fans some solace while the Supercars scene is on hold.
“I had so much fun today and I think a lot of people had fun,” he said.
“That’s the main thing. I hope everyone at home enjoyed it because I really think this is going to be cool in the interim thing we can do while we wait for our real racing again.”
The BP Supercars All Stars Eseries continues on April 15 with races at Silverstone Circuit and Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
Still gotta spray the champagne at home… 2 from 3 wins tonight! Hope you enjoyed the show. See you next week! #getthedogs #VASC pic.twitter.com/CnkZRiS0Qh
— Scott McLaughlin (@smclaughlin93) April 8, 2020
