Scott McLaughlin has claimed his maiden V8 Supercars win with victory in the final MSS Security V8 Supercars Challenge race at Albert Park.
McLaughlin’s win comes in only his sixth race as a full-time V8 Supercars driver, the reigning second-tier Dunlop Series champion having stepped up to the main game at the start of the 2013 season.
The Fujitsu Racing GRM rookie started from seventh on the grid but worked his way through the field and snatched the lead from Fabian Coulthard after the pole sitter veered off the track shortly after emerging from his compulsory pit stop on lap five.
It was a lead the Kiwi would never lose and he took the chequered flag almost two seconds ahead of Craig Lowndes and fellow countryman Coulthard.
David Reynolds took fourth ahead of Alex Davison, Jamie Whincup, Todd Kelly, Will Davison, Shane van Gisbergen and James Moffat.
Coulthard’s third place sealed overall victory for the weekend following his three earlier victories, the last of which was handed to him in controversial circumstances after van Gisbergen, Whincup, Lowndes, Jonathon Webb, Scott Pye, Dean Fiore, Todd Kelly and Michael Caruso were all excluded from race three following a technical breach relating to ignition timing.
Coulthard’s team-mate Jason Bright finished 11th after a poor start, but it was still enough to secure an overall one-two for the Brad Jones Racing outfit ahead of Will Davison in third.
The second round of the 2013 V8 Supercars Championship, the Tasmania 360, is on 5-7 April.
