Scott McLaughlin entered the history books today as he scored the first V8 Supercars victory for Volvo Polestar Racing in the Australian Grand Prix weekend with Formula 1 in Melbourne.
“This is just unbelievable, something you never forget! The car was fantastic, an awesome day for everyone at GRM and Polestar,” said McLaughlin.
The Volvo Polestar Racing driver crossed the finishing line first after 12 laps to score Volvo’s first racing victory in Australia since 1999, one second ahead of Red Bull Racing driver Craig Lowndes.
“A fantastic effort by Scott and everyone in the team. This has been an amazing journey so far and it is for sure looking bright for the remainder of the season,” said Christian Dahl, owner of Polestar.
The 20-year-old Kiwi started from fourth on the grid and gained one position in the start of the race. He made his way past Shane Van Gisbergen and Fabian Coulthard two laps later and went into a lead he was never to lose.
“We made a few changes overnight and the guys gave me a great car. I could control the race all the way and I am just so stoked,” said McLaughlin.
Teammate Robert Dahlgren started the weekend strongly by qualifying just one position outside the top ten for the first race in eleventh position, five tenths from pole position. The Swede dropped positions in the four races to finish 18th as best with one retirement in the final race due to a damaged rim.
”I’ve had a tough weekend in terms of results. But I’ve had a very good weekend behind the scenes in terms of getting to know the car and moving it forward. I just can’t wait to get to the next race to materialize this,” said Dahlgren.
The Melbourne Formula 1 weekend resulted in the overall points victory for the race, four top five positions, two podium finishes, one fastest lap and a victory for McLaughlin in only the second ever race weekend for the new Volvo S60 Polestar V8SC, sending a message of strength for the coming races of the 2014 season.
“We got to keep pushing, but I definitely think we have got a championship challenger on our hands. I am very much ready for the next race,” said McLaughlin.
The championship continues in two weeks with Tyrepower Tasmania 400.
Race 1 Results – Top 5
1 Shane Van Gisbergen Holden Commodore 10 laps
2 Jamie Whincup Holden Commodore +6.1803
3 Scott McLaughlin Volvo S60 +7.1881
4 Michael Caruso Nissan Altima +7.4849
5 Fabian Coulthard Holden Commodore +8.0388
18 Robert Dahlgren Volvo S60 +23.4963
Race 2 Results – Top 5
1 Shane Van Gisbergen Holden Commodore 12 laps
2 Craig Lowndes Holden Commodore +0.5519
3 Fabian Coulthard Holden Commodore +1.8593
4 Michael Caruso Nissan Altima +2.6717
5 Scott McLaughlin Volvo S60 +3.6196
19 Robert Dahlgren Volvo S60 +23.0936
Race 3 Results – Top 5
1 Shane Van Gisbergen Holden Commodore 12 laps
2 Fabian Coulthard Holden Commodore +0.500
3 Craig Lowndes Holden Commodore +0.972
4 Scott McLaughlin Volvo S60 +5.310
5 Garth Tander Holden Commodore +5.985
19 Robert Dahlgren Volvo S60 +19.442
Race 4 Results – Top 5
1 Scott McLaughlin Volvo S60 12 laps
2 Craig Lowndes Holden Commodore +1.0865
3 Michael Caruso Nissan Altima +6.6923
4 Garth Tander Holden Commodore +6.5954
5 Fabian Coulthard Holden Commodore +7.3600