Scott McLaughlin podiums with Corvette in Suzuka 1000km

IndyCar driver Scott McLaughlin capped off his ‘bucket list’ run in the Suzuka 1000km this weekend. He scored a third-place finish in the No. 2 Johor Motorsports JMR Chevrolet Corvette alongside his two co-drivers.

McLaughlin’s teammate Nicky Catsburg set the outright fastest lap in qualifying. The No. 2 started ninth following the combined three-driver qualifying.

Just hours before the race, the two factory Corvettes were hit with a Balance of Performance weight increase of 20kg.

It was Catsburg who maneuvered the No. 2 back to the podium after falling back to fifth in the closing hour. He battled past the No. 31 WRT BMW to finish behind the No. 6 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R. McLaughlin said this was the first time the team had run a Pro Car. To be part of that and achieve a podium was beyond his expectations. 

The BMW Team WRT No. 32 dominated the race, leading by 13.647 seconds over the No. 7 Origine Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R. The No. 32 started on pole and led essentially from beginning to end. 

McLaughlin said after arriving at the Japanese circuit that Suzuka had always been a bucket-list race for him. He said it is a track he feels he knows like the back of his hand, despite never having been there.

“For me, Suzuka is a bucket list,” McLaughlin said. “I had it circled on my calendar to maybe do it. And I was immediately excited about it. I signed the deal, and here we are.

“I know the track like the back of my hand, even though I’ve never been here! I’ve driven it a lot on the simulator and walked around it today…It was awesome just to soak it all in.”

When asked on X what his top five tracks were ahead of his start in the Suzuka race, he replied that Suzuka is now in his top five. The others are Bathurst, Laguna Seca, Indianapolis Motor Speedway (an oval circuit), and Adelaide Streets.

McLaughlin enjoys his GT3 racing and has expressed interest in the Spa and Le Mans 24 Hours races in future.