SCOTT McLaughlin has been reunited with his recently restored 2012 Dunlop Series-winning Ford Falcon FG at the VALO Adelaide 500.
The Stone Brothers-built car is owned and raced in the Super3 Series by Matt Stone Racing co-owner and Brisbane-based IT entrepreneur Jason Gomersall.
Gomersall was involved in a hefty crash at Sandown in August, after which he decided to revert the car to its Fujitsu colours for Adelaide.
He has also swapped his regular #35 for McLaughlin’s #93 – a detail that impressed the Supercars champion turned IndyCar star at the circuit.
“They have done a phenomenal job, it looks amazing,” McLaughlin, who is working as an ambassador for the Adelaide 500, told V8 Sleuth.
“Lately it’s had more hits than Elvis so hopefully it still looks good underneath all the bodywork!
“The crash at Sandown was a big one, it brought a tear to my eye, but probably moreso my old mechanics!
“I just love the sport and to see someone make a car that you used to race back up, it’s a privilege.
“It brings a lot of memories back, not only for me but my family and everyone who supported me in that era.”
The 2012 Dunlop Series featured a four-way battle between McLaughlin, Scott Pye (Triple Eight), Chaz Mostert (Ford Performance Racing) and Nick Percat (Walkinshaw Racing).
All four have gone on to win races in Supercars, with McLaughlin taking out three consecutive titles from 2018-2020 before moving to IndyCar.
“No disrespect to anyone coming through but I don’t think the Dunlop Series has seen a battle like it since then,” McLaughlin said.
“It was just one of those years where there was a really good crop of drivers coming through, we are all race winners in V8s.
“It was dog-eat-dog, you couldn’t make a mistake. That was really preparation for me in later years to learn how to win a championship.
“I don’t think we had the fastest car, but we eventually won it because we were consistent and stayed out of trouble as much as we could.
“I never had a pole in the Dunlop Series, which is crazy, but at the end of the day we put it together in the races.
“That’s something that kind of switched when I got to racing in the main series, I started getting poles, but I didn’t get going in the races. It was about finding that balance.
“But I learnt a lot in the Dunlop Series racing with those guys that helped me be a championship contender in the main game.”
