Scott McLaughlin rode his luck on the smell of an oily rag to claim his maiden Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 title and the first for his Shell V-Power Racing Team in 25 years.
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McLaughlin won an intense final battle when he was saved by a safety car while under the threat of running out of fuel, which would have given fellow Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen his first Bathurst win.
It was another Kiwi, Andre Heimgartner, who sparked the safety car with three laps to go.
Until then McLaughlin's team did not know if they had enough fuel, or not.The safety car meant he was able to conserve enough of the little fuel left in the tank.
Then, it all came down to a single lap after more than six hours of racing.
"I can't believe I won the bloody Bathurst 1000," McLaughlin said."We had such a good car all week. I put so much pressure on myself.I have dreamt about this. I have dreamt about standing on this roof. This is absolutely amazing.
"McLaughlin held Van Gisbergen at bay on that single final lap to take victory with team-mate Alex Premat from Van Gisbergen and Garth Tander.
James Courtney and Jack Perkins capped an also remarkable race for third place.Premat became the first Frenchman to win Bathurst and one of the few internationals to stand on the top step.
"Everything was gambling, gambling, that was crazy," Premat said.
"It's magic, magic."
It was the first victory for Dick Johnson Racing, now known as DJR Team Penske, and US magnate Roger Penske who bought into the team four years ago.
The last time Johnson won at Mount Panorama was in 1994 when the Australian icon beat Craig Lowndes and Brad Jones home with co-driver John Bowe.
"It's one off the bucket list now, what a great Champion," Penske said.
"I just can't believe what is going on here, it is just so exciting."
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