Book Review: Scott McLaughlin – Road to Redemption A Championship Journey
Australia Supercars championship winning driver Scott McLaughlin has put pen to paper with Tim Hodges in a book that is both compelling to read and worth having on the bookshelf.
Essentially it covers a 12 month period of McLaughlin’s life and is not an autobiography. Starting from what could be the most miserable and lowest point of his career, the Road to Redemption is just that. It covers the next 12 months and the (mostly) mental fight back that McLaughlin made in order to win the 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship title.
Heading into the final round of the 2017 Supercars season, it was McLaughlin’s series to lose and he did just that to rival Jamie Whincup.
“This was supposed to be the greatest moment of my life. Instead it was the worst I’d ever felt.”
How does one bring themselves back from such a low point? Well Scott McLaughlin did and he gives a very honest account of how key friends rallied around him and how he took on board advice as well as a journey with a Emma Murray, a Performance Mind Coach.
He takes us through what turned out to be his title winning season in 2018 with all the bumps and chicanes that he had to negotiate on the way.
For those that aren’t motorsport fans they may struggle with the read. While there is discussion and mention of fellow competitors such as Whincup, Shane van Gisbergen and David Reynolds, one could be forgiven for not knowing anything about them. There are few photos of any other cars outside of the Shell V-Power Racing team. It is almost a promotional book for Shell.
There is much emphasis on McLaughlin’s losing performance at the last round in 2017 at the Newcastle street circuit. But arguably McLaughlin started losing it when he failed to finish at the Bathurst 1000 event three rounds before Newcastle. This was a round that offered double points. While Whincup won less races in 2017 (four) to McLaughlin (eight wins), he finished every event and was always in the title hunt.
The photos by Mark Horsburgh are stunning and complete the book which has a Foreword written by Roger Penske and a entertaining chapter by our own Greg Murphy.
Don’t wait for Christmas, treat yourself and make it an early Father’s Day present.
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