Scott McLaughlin was confident of securing pole despite track conditions changing

Bathurst 1000 pole-sitter Scott McLaughlin says he knew he had something left in the tank of his DJR Team Penske Ford Mustang after practice when he set out on his record breaking qualifying lap.

The young Kiwi was able to take his second pole position start for the Great Race after going out last for the shootout, replicating his efforts of 2017 when he converted provisional pole to pole via a new Supercars lap record in the process.

Speaking after recording the 2:03.3783 lap around Mount Panorama, the defending series champion said he felt like the car had more speed in it after morning practice although he expected the track to be slower with cooler conditions in the afternoon.

“Obviously I’m stoked,” he said.

“We’ve had a great car since the get-go and the wheel work is easy when you have a great team, a great car and the data behind it to learn where you’ve gone wrong or can improve.

“Certainly left a bit on the table in practice, just probably being safe a little bit. When Chaz (Mostert) did that 2:03.7, I knew the grip was there and we could have a crack because I thought the track lost some grip since Cam (Waters) did that awesome lap at the start, but obviously not.

“I basically just had a crack, especially across the top where I was probably a bit soft in practice. It just held on really well.

With new regulations coming into play next year which will reduce downforce and horsepower, it’s likely McLaughlin’s lap will stand as the fastest for a Supercar for a while, something he says doesn’t matter to him.

“We all try to go the fastest we can with whatever we have. Whether it stays like that for ages or doesn’t, I don’t really care; I just care that on the day I’m the fastest.

“We’ve got the best possible position to start the Great Race tomorrow and it means nothing for tomorrow because it’s 161 laps. It’s been ten years since anyone’s won from pole so we just have to get on with it, use our position and see how we go.

“I haven’t actually looked at the (race) runs people have done, especially today but we’ve been solid all week without much drop-off. I’m confident with my car, you want a car that’s comfortable and you can do it consistently, I think we have that but who knows until tomorrow.”

Starting from pole for the 1000km endurance classic for the second time, McLaughlin and French co-driver Alex Premat are looking for their first win at Mount Panorama. Team owner Roger Penske is still wanting to add a victory in the Bathurst 1000 to his collection while Dick Johnson is celebrating the 25th anniversary since his team’s last win in 1994.