Motorsport: Scott McLaughlin wins again as Kiwis complete Supercars podium

There may not be a lot of Kiwis in the Supercars championship, but this year again, it was an all-New Zealand podium in the fourth round of the series at Phillip Island.

Scott McLaughlin continued his seemingly compelling march towards a second Supercars title by winning the race today and increasing his lead to 136 points over his Shell V-Power Racing teammate, Fabian Coulthard, who finished second. His fellow Kiwi, Andre Heimgartner, completed the podium.

"It was a great day for the team," said McLaughlin. "It was a massive race start with the Fabs [Fabian Coulthard] and I trying to get the advantage in the first round. It's great for the team that we run together but we respect each other.

"Incredible, it's great for the team, a double, we sort of controlled the race from the start.

"It's great to win another win here, I love this place. We have a very good season and we have to stay focused and I'm really proud of everyone.

"It was a late battle, as it was a bit of a struggle with the tires and we managed to keep it all well and stay out of the sidewalks so that I did not damage the tires. "

A number of cars have suffered tire problems, including James Courtney and Tim Slade, who have delaminated their tires.

Heimgartner was thrilled to win the first solo podium of his Supercars career.

"I am incredibly happy for the team," he said. "It was a difficult start to the year and it was great to consolidate [on the podium] the speed we have had so far this weekend.

"This is my first podium on my own and it's a big tick on the list, which gives me a lot of confidence knowing that I can do it now. [finish in the top three] and it's a thank you to everyone who has trusted me. "

One of the most important stories of the first race at Phillip Island was the stoppage of pit stops dramas hanging over the Triple Eight racing team. Jamie Whincup 's fight to reaffirm himself in the championship received another blow when the nut of his right front wheel was not sitting properly at the pit stop. His pit crew then asked him to park the car after taking off the steering wheel and he fell to seventh place in the points table.