[ad_1]
Scott McLaughlin is set to clinch his third straight Supercars title this afternoon, following victory in race two of the OTR SuperSprint.
McLaughlin finished first and rival Jamie Whincup seventh in an action-packed 32-lap race that concluded with a seven-lap sprint following a Safety Car restart.
Penrite Racing’s Anton De Pasquale and Tickford Racing’s Cameron Waters completed the podium, second in as many days for the Ford driver.
McLaughlin now has a 299-point lead over Whincup and will seal the title in race three this afternoon if he finishes the day 300 points apart.
Fabian Coulthard had beaten pole winner McLaughlin early on, leading the way until giving in on lap seven, placing himself between his teammate and Whincup.
The Shell pair held their positions through the pit stop cycle and looked ready for a one-two, before Coulthard’s car came to a halt with an apparent driveline failure 10 laps from home.
That activated the Safety Car, after which McLaughlin controlled the gap with second-placed De Pasquale to win by 1,277s.
“It’s a bummer about Fabs, I think we were in a one-two there, but a great Shell V-Power Racing team game,” McLaughlin said.
Fabs cupped my chin to let me pass at first. I really appreciate that, he had a great car and got off to a great start.
“We will work on it and make sure we mark our i’s, cross our t’s.
“If we can do it today, it would be great; if we don’t, we’ll put ourselves in the best position at Bathurst. “
Whincup had waited until lap 15 to make his stop, but lost crucial time when his car cut the right rear wheel gun hose on the way to the pit box, ripping it from the mechanic’s hands.
After a slow stop, Whincup rejoined in a net sixth place and lost one more place with four laps to go to his teammate Shane van Gisbergen.
Van Gisbergen, who started in 15th, was in the midst of some frantic mid-group battles in the opening laps, but ran his first long, now traditional season, stopping under the safety car and coming back ninth.
Van Gisbergen finished fifth, right off the bumper of James Courtney, who drove solidly to improve a place on his position on the grid.
Nick Percat scored sixth off Whincup, while Chaz Mostert, Rick Kelly and Andre Heimgartner completed the top 10.
Joining Coulthard on the DNF roster was David Reynolds, whose Penrite Holden suffered a transaxle failure at the exact moment the Shell Ford failed.
Garry Jacobson and Lee Holdsworth had retired earlier after contact in a chaotic opening lap.
Also in the wars was Jack Le Brocq, who was 13th after an early spin off a hit from Bryce Fullwood, who finished 18th after a 15-second penalty.
Scott Pye finished 19th, having raced ahead of van Gisbergen before a slow pit stop and a late puncture viciously attacked him.
McLaughlin will start this afternoon’s race from the ARMOR ALL Pole with Whincup third.
When asked about his plan for the final race, McLaughlin said: “Defeat him. That’s.”
