Scott McLaughlin rolls in qualifying after securing provisional pole

Supercars Championship leader Scott McLaughlin is in doubt for Sunday’s Gold Coast 600 race after rolling his DJR Team Penske Ford Mustang late in the qualifying session.

The defending series champion was pushing on his last lap of qualifying when he went into the first chicane too fast, hitting the inside concrete wall and bouncing across to the outside fence, plucking a wheel off the car which sent it over on its side.

McLaughlin was on provisional pole at the time, just one-hundredth of fellow Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen who stopped his Triple Eight car at the scene of the crash to help his rival out of the #17 car.

With his time deleted, McLaughlin still finished the session in second with van Gisbergen inheriting the provisional pole position ahead of the Top Ten Shootout, set to be held later this morning.

Triple Eight was able to get both cars in the top three with Jamie Whincup in third, ahead of the resurgent Scott Pye, driving for Walkinshaw Andretti United, and Tickford Racing’s Cam Waters in fifth.

Due to the session being cancelling post-incident, McLaughlin’s DJR Team Penske team-mate Fabian Coulthard will miss the shootout, unable to improve on his qualifying position of 16th place.