Scott McLaughlin’s love affair with Phillip Island has continued, with the New Zealander securing a record sixth consecutive Supercars pole at the Victorian venue.
The Shell V-Power driver backed up his victory in Saturday’s race to again be at the front of the grid for Sunday’s 250km event.
Blitzing the qualifying, McLaughlin broke the mark for most pole positions in a row at Phillip Island.
« I’m living the dream and I can’t wipe the smile off my face, » McLaughlin said.
The 24-year-old has an opportunity to extend his lead in the championship on Sunday afternoon following his Red Bull Holden rival Jamie Whincup’s costly mistake on Saturday.
Seven-time champion Whincup was leading the series before the opening race of the Phillip Island 500, but McLaughlin in his Ford Falcon went in front by a point with his fifth career win at the venue.
Whincup dropped to fourth in the standings after receiving a 38-second post-race time penalty for turning off his pitlane speed limiter.
Whincup will start back in fifth on the grid for the second race following qualifying, with McLaughlin, David Reynolds, Fabian Coulthard and Ricky Kelly all finishing ahead of him.
Rejuvenated veteran Kelly finished on the Supercars podium for the first time since 2015 on Saturday, but was promoted to second following Whincup’s error and Shane van Gisbergen went up to third.
The second race begins at 1.50pm.
http://www.espn.com/v8-supercars/story/_/id/23254929/mclaughlin-secures-supercars-pole-again
