One of Supercars’ fiercest rivalries was quickly forgotten when Shane van Gisbergen dramatically jumped out of his Holden to help Scott McLaughlin after the Ford star sensationally crashed in Gold Coast 600 qualifying.
Van Gisbergen showed remarkable sportsmanship when he parked his Commodore and ran to McLaughlin’s aid after the Supercars leader hit the inside kerb at 140km/h at the tough concrete wall-lined street circuit and his car spectacularly ended up on its side on turn four.
With his major rival’s help, McLaughlin emerged unscathed but he was ruled out of Sunday’s final 300km race after his Mustang was considered a write off and he was later taken to hospital for observation.
McLaughlin’s accident opened the door for van Gisbergen to make a major dent in the defending champion’s 613-point series lead on Sunday.
McLaughlin could have sealed back to back Supercars titles if he enjoyed a 600-point buffer over van Gisbergen after the Gold Coast round.
But van Gisbergen’s thoughts were only on McLaughlin’s welfare after the “shocking” crash.
“It’s not a nice feeling coming around the corner and seeing one of your mates on their side,” van Gisbergen said.
“I helped him out but the medical team were there fast.
“He was pretty shaken but he’s okay, he’ll be fine.”
There seemed to be no love lost between the Kiwi drivers after they waged a sometimes bitter two man war for the Supercars title over the past two seasons.
Their rivalry came to a head in last year’s New Zealand round when van Gisbergen parked too close to McLaughlin after the opening race, ensuring the infuriated Ford driver couldn’t get out of his vehicle and take the podium.
But McLaughlin only had kind things to say about van Gisbergen on Sunday.
“I went over and thanked Shane (in the garage). I thought it was a really nice thing he did,” he said.
“We race hard but it shows that at the end of the day there is always that camaraderie between all of us.
“We may be foes but for him to come and see if I was OK, that’s the main thing.”
McLaughlin passed a concussion test at the track-side medical centre and was given the all clear, returning to the team garage and conducting interviews.
But the 26-year-old was later sent to hospital to be monitored for signs of delayed concussion.
“The adrenaline is wearing down and I am a bit more sore,” McLaughlin said when he returned to the team garage.
“I am just gutted for everyone. We had a great car but I just pushed it a bit too hard.
“I haven’t had a crash like that before. It was a big one.”
McLaughlin’s outfit DJR Team Penske must now build a new Mustang for the next round – the Sandown 500 in November.