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Gold Coast 600: McLaughlin snatches victory away from Whincup

Scott McLaughlin and DJR Team Penske were the first frontrunners to make their final stop of the race, a decision that allowed them to jump all three Triple Eight Holdens and take control.

Podium: race winner Alexandre Prémat, Scott McLaughlin, DJR Team Penske

Podium: race winner Alexandre Prémat, Scott McLaughlin, DJR Team Penske

Edge Photographics

Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Ford
Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Ford
Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Ford
Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske Ford
Jamie Whincup, Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden
Jamie Whincup , Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden
Shane van Gisbergen, Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden
Craig Lowndes, Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden

And not a single safety car intervention took place during the 300km race.

At the start, Paul Dumbrell was able to take the lead from Matt Campbell as Triple Eight completely controlled the early stages.

Early drama

Taz Douglas tapped James Golding, sending him around in the first of a flurry of incidents in the opening laps. Andre Heimgartner then backed it into the barrier at Turn 11 while running ninth, significantly damaging rear-end damage. Dean Fiore was handed a drive-through penalty for the part he played in the incident.

Soon after, Luke Youlden slammed the wall out of the fast chicane, sustaining suspension damage that forced him into the garage. Co-driver David Reynolds tried not to let the misfortune trouble him. “If you can't get over it quickly, you are never supposed to be in the sport. Luke was trying hard," he said.

In a clumsy incident some laps later, Richard Muscat hooked David Russell into the fence at Turn 4. And as he turned away to avoid Russell, he shoved Alex Davison into the opposite fence. Both the No. 62 and No.78 went to the garage due to the contact.

“I felt embarrassed for them that they felt the need to race so hard. It’s pretty disappointing," fumed Davison.

After 30 laps of racing, Triple Eight remained 1-2-3 with Dumbrell maintaining a 1.5 second gap to Campbell.

On Lap 34, Richie Stanaway made a dive on Steve Richards for third trying to break up the Triple Eight juggernaut, but Richards turned down on him and nailed the right front wheel, bending a steering arm.

One lap later, a flurry of stops took place as the primary drivers took control. Jamie Whincup picked up where Dumbrell left off in the race lead, now three seconds clear of Shane van Gisbergen. The No. 888 remained third with Craig Lowndes at the wheel.

On Lap 40, Whincup became the first to drop down into the 11s with a 1:11.8056. Others quickly followed as the pace picked up.

Race-altering pit stops

After 60 laps, the second round of stops got underway and the complexion of the race completely changed. Scott McLaughlin was the first driver near the sharp of the field to pit and in doing so, he was able to leapfrog both Van Gisbergen and Lowndes, moving into second.

On Lap 65, Whincup pitted from the lead and came out directly behind McLaughlin, who successfully undercut all three Triple Eight Holdens. He then held them at bay for the remainder of the race, never allowing Whincup to get within a second.

However, he did have to be cautious after getting called on overuse of the kerbs, which was promptly followed by a near-meeting with the wall at Turn 11. But in the end, he held on and captured the checkered flag along with co-driver Alex Premat for the Shell V-Power Racing squad. And while celebrating the victory, he ran his fuel tank dry.

"I don't care about pushing my car if we're pushing it into victory lane," he said grinning ear-to-ear. "This guy Alex did an incredible job too."

Whincup was second, Van Gisbergen third, Lowndes fourth and Mark Winterbottom fifth. James Courtney, Chaz Mostert, Lee Holdsworth, Fabian Coulthard and Nick Percat rounded out the top ten.

"They were a bit more aggressive on strategy, deserved to win," conceded Whincup.

On the Pirtek Enduro Cup side, Mostert Steve Owen picked up the honors by 48 points over the Fabian Coulthard/Tony D'Alberto duo.

The championship fight has tightened up with this weekend's Gold Coast 600 with Whincup leading McLaughlin by 17 points and Coulthard by 27. 

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