McLaughlin sounds Supercars title warning

Ford star Scott McLaughlin has laid down the gauntlet to Supercars championship leader Jamie Whincup by topping the time sheets during practice at Newcastle.

McLaughlin scorched the street circuit, which is being used for the first time, with a lap of one minute and 9.5949 seconds on Friday.

The 24-year-old Kiwi’s performance sounded an ominous warning to Whincup, whom he trails by 30 points in the title race as the season-deciding meet got underway.

McLaughlin put a 0.4345 second gap between him and Whincup, second fastest for the day.

After positing the quickest lap in the opening session, Whincup couldn’t find the extra pace to match the DJR Team Penske ace.

“The car is really nice. It wasn’t bad in the first one but it wasn’t like it is now,” McLaughlin said.

“(Engineer) Ludo (Lacroix) really tuned it up for me and listened to what I wanted. It was exactly what I needed.

“We’ll be OK for tomorrow hopefully.”

Nissan driver Todd Kelly’s final race weekend as a full-time driver got off to a flyer as he posted the third-fastest lap of the day.

Holden’s Scott Pye and McLaughlin’s teammate Fabian Coulthard rounded out the top five.

Earlier, Whincup said the circuit was “heart in mouth” as he chases an unprecedented seventh title.

“It’s going to be a crazy challenge to get it all right and keep it clean for 95 (laps) times two this weekend, but that’s all part of the job,” Whincup said.

“I thought there would be a bit more flow but it’s actually quite stop-start. The grip is slightly higher than anticipated and it’s bumpier than we anticipated.”

Two second-placed finishes will be enough for Whincup to clinch the championship, even if McLaughlin achieves a clean sweep.

Qualifying for Saturday’s 250km race, the first of two for the weekend, starts at 11am AEDT.

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