Scott McLaughlin’s sixth win of the Supercars season has cemented him as the man to beat in this year’s championship after a superb drive in Darwin.

The championship leader was unable to convert two poles into wins last round at Winton, but starting second on the grid on Saturday at Hidden Valley Raceway suited him better.

McLaughlin edged out Red Bull Holden rival Shane van Gisbergen by just half a second for his 22nd career win.

Erebus Motorsport’s David Reynolds blitzed qualifying in hot conditions at the Northern Territory circuit to take pole, but could manage only third behind the series leaders.

McLaughlin pitted early in the 42-lap affair and it paid off as Reynolds waited until halfway through the race.

Holdens rounded out the top five with Scott Pye and veteran Garth Tander impressing.

It was McLaughlin’s second win at the Darwin circuit, backing up last year’s race-two triumph.

The New Zealand ace has extended his championship lead to 143 points over van Gisbergen, while Reynolds has overtaken Craig Lowndes to be third overall.

“I’m glad I didn’t have one of those heart rate sensors on TV – I would’ve blown the bloody thing up!” McLaughlin said.

“We all know Shane’s a hard charger and I respect him like no other and it’s certainly great for me to hold him off and great for the team.

“I really wanted that win after coming back from the break and all the hard work behind the scenes.”