With Scott McLaughlin poised to break his long-standing record for most race wins in a Supercars season, Craig Lowndes has hailed the Ford star’s 2019 form.
McLaughlin has won 16 races so far this year, equalling the record set by Lowndes in 1996.
A win in either of this weekend’s two 200km races at Pukekohe Park in New Zealand will make the DJR Team Penske racer the most successful in a single season in championship history.
Lowndes says McLaughlin’s dominance, which has enabled him to open up a whopping 573-point lead in the title standings, is no fluke.
“There’s no doubt that every decade or era you have a driver or a team that really click together. Scotty’s having that at the moment,” Lowndes told AAP.
“It’s great to see.
“I think he’s driving smart, he’s driving clever and he’s got a car that can deliver what he needs to do.”
McLaughlin’s bid to break the record hit a snag in Friday’s practice when an ignition issue cost him track time in the day’s second and final 30-minute hitout.
The defending series champion could only sit and wait until the issue was resolved before eventually hitting the track, completing seven laps and posting the seventh-quickest lap of the session.
“We didn’t get as many laps in as we wanted but it was alright,” McLaughlin said.
“At least we got back out, the boys were all over it.”
It was a rare misstep for McLaughlin but whatever happens this weekend, Lowndes is resigned to his long-standing record falling.
“It’s something I didn’t really think about when we achieved it back in ’96,” the three-time champion said.
“I suppose we had less races back then but at the same token to have a dominant year like he’s having, it is surprising that it’s lasted so long.”
The Auckland SuperSprint resumes with a final practice run on Saturday morning before qualifying and a 70-lap race in the afternoon.