SuperCars eSeries Race Report - Round 10
June 11, 2020
Supercars All-Stars Eseries Race Report – Round 10
Tracks: Mt Panorama, Bathurst and Oran Park
Date: 10 June 2020
Session: Races 30 & 31
No. 12 Shell V-Power Racing Ford Mustang GT– Fabian Coulthard
R30 Starting Position: 22nd
R30 Finishing Position: 17th
R31 Starting Position: 23rd
R31 Finishing Position: 23rd
Notes:
- Qualifying wasn’t kind to Coulthard at the final round of the Supercars All-Stars Eseries, and while he improved throughout the Oran Park session, contact on his final flyer left him starting Race 30 in p22. At Bathurst, it was hard to piece together a complete Qualifying lap without traffic hampering his efforts; his first lap remained his fastest time of that session.
- Managing to avoid the opening corner chaos in Race 30, Coulthard had made up nine places and was sitting in p13 by lap 4.
- Coulthard was lucky to avoid a penalty mid-way through the race after he made contact with Pye. His quick decision to redress saw the racing standards advisor look kindly upon him.
- Despite the setback, Coulthard finished Race 30 in p17, five places up from his starting position.
- Coulthard couldn’t avoid an incident caused by Davison at turn 2 on the opening lap of Race 31 and had to pit for repairs. It didn’t impact his overall race position rejoining the race just one place down in p24.
- He battled mid-pack for much of the race, and after trying to assist his teammate to the finish line after a final lap incident, Coulthard finished where he started in p23.
Quote:
“Tonight just didn’t quite go my way, but overall the Eseries was a lot of fun and gave our fans something to watch when we couldn’t go racing. I’ve never raced on a simulator until 10 weeks ago, and I’m pretty happy with the progress I made throughout the series; I even managed to get a few podiums and a win in there. Like all the drivers though, I’m really looking forward to getting back in the real race car.”
No. 17 Shell V-Power Racing Team Ford Mustang GT – Scott McLaughlin
R30 Starting Position: 6th
R30 Finishing Position: 4th
R31 Starting Position: 7th
R31 Finishing Position: 22nd
Notes:
- McLaughlin has finished the Supercars All-Stars Eseries 2nd overall in the Championship.
- He put everything on the line tonight as he went into the finale just 78 points behind Championship leader and rival Shane van Gisbergen.
- He couldn’t match the speed of van Gisbergen in either of the two Qualifying sessions, and some small mistakes at Oran Park and a run-in with the wall at Bathurst during his final lap did not help his campaign.
- McLaughlin cleanly navigated his way through the opening lap of Race 30, narrowly avoiding an incident that unfolded at the first turn.
- He was the first driver in the field to complete both compulsory pit stops, which quickly saw his nearest competitors respond.
- McLaughlin finished Race 30 in p4, ensuring the Championship would be decided in the final race at Bathurst.
- Being 108 points behind the van Gisbergen heading into Race 31, McLaughlin put it all on the line. He made a clean start off the line and was up to p6 at the end of the first lap.
- McLaughlin sustained damage when he hit the wall at the grate on lap 3, but made things worse when he hit the tyre bundle on his way into pit lane for his first compulsory stop.
- While he had lost time and positions, McLaughlin had clawed his way back to p7 by lap 7.
- But another awkward pit land entry while making his second stop saw McLaughlin drop down the order.
- But the race wasn’t over, and on lap 13 an incident at The Elbow between race leaders van Gisbergen and DePasquale meant McLaughlin sat just one position behind them.
- McLaughlin threw everything at it in the closing stages of the race, but after tagging the wall on the final lap, his Ford Mustang was all but destroyed.
- His teammate Coulthard came to his aid and tried valiantly to push him to the finish line, but there were wild scenes as another car collected them both as they made their way down The Chase. McLaughlin officially finished the race in p22.
Quote:
“I think tonight was a good to end to the Eseries. Unfortunately, I didn’t quite have enough to beat Shane, but at the end of the day, he’s been the class of the field all series. So congratulations to him. Overall I’m pretty happy with my run, but I’m also glad it's all over so we can now focus on the real thing. The most important thing for me is to win the real trophy. I’m ready to give it a good crack, and I’m looking forward to getting back out on the track in a few weeks at Sydney Motorsport Park.”