Supercars eSeries Race Report - Phillip Island
April 8, 2020
DJR Team Penske Supercars All-Stars eSeries Race Report
Fabian Coulthard - No. 12 Shell V-Power Racing Ford
Qualifying Race 1 – 10th
Qualifying Race 3 – 9th
Race 1 (Phillip Island) – 2nd
Race 2 (Phillip Island Reverse Grid)– 8th
Race 3 (Monza) – 7th
Scott McLaughlin - No. 17 Shell V-Power Racing Ford
Qualifying Race 1 – 3rd
Qualifying Race 3 – 2nd
Race 1 (Phillip Island) – 1st
Race 2 (Phillip Island Reverse Grid)– 4th
Race 3 (Monza) – 1st
Notes: The inaugural round of the Supercars All-Stars Eseries has been run and won, with the Shell V-Power Racing Team having a very successful run at both the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit and Monza Eni Circuit.
After qualifying third, Scott McLaughlin showed that he is as good at a virtual Phillip Island as he is in the 'real world', taking victory in Race 1 from his teammate Fabian Coulthard by 3.3 seconds. An historic 1-2 finish in the first ever Supercars Eseries race.
Race 2, also at Phillip Island, saw the grid positions made up by reversing the finishing order of Race 1. This meant that Coulthard would start 24th and McLaughlin 25th. Both drivers were quickly into the Top 10, working their way through the pack before and after their compulsory pit stops.
McLaughlin had a massive battle with Bryce Fullwood across the last few laps, ultimately finishing the race fifth after starting last. Coulthard finished ninth after a p24 start – a solid race for both drivers. Both drivers were elevated one position when Anton De Pasquale was given a 30s post-race penalty.
The final race of the night was held at the famous Autodromo Nazionale di Monza, the first time Supercars have ever raced there - virtually or otherwise.
McLaughlin again got a fantastic start to lead the pack into Turn 1, however a massive crash involving half the field occurred behind him. Unfortunately Coulthard was caught up in that crash, forcing him to the pit lane for repairs. The Safety Car came out on Lap 3 for clean-up, and McLaughlin took the chance to pit. The race went green again two laps later, and both drivers worked to get back through the pack.
Coulthard was moving forward, however was again knocked off the circuit before making his way back up to finish seventh.
McLaughlin made his way to the front of the pack, passing Jack Le Brocq, Will Davison, Mark Winterbottom and then Cameron Waters to take the race lead. He had to save fuel late in the race, however was able to take his second win of the night and the lead of the Supercars All-Stars Eseries.
The next round of the Eseries will be held next Wednesday, April 15 at Silverstone Circuit in the UK, and the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Spain.
COULTHARD QUOTE:
“I started off tonight not really knowing what to expect, but getting through to second in Race 1 after starting 10th was a fantastic way to start. It’s been well received from all the feedback I’m seeing on my social media channels, and now I’m looking forward to next week. It was a lot of fun from a driver’s point of view, there are ways to improve it but I think it was a huge success for the first one.
MCLAUGHLIN QUOTE:
“It was pretty tight on fuel there, but thankfully we were able to save enough and get to the end there. That was some good racing I think, I hope everyone enjoyed watching it. It was plenty of fun, and great to be racing a Supercar again, even if it’s in the virtual world. It was pretty full on, but so much fun. It’s a great interim thing for us to do while we wait for our real racing to return.”