Things might just be on the improve this weekend at Barbagello Raceway, as McLaughlin will have a new S60 car to play with. However, the engine is the one from Symmons Plains and it's the powerplant that's been at the centre of problems so far.
Reliability this year has been a problem, and the same issues have been found to be the cause of the last three engine failures. The GRM crew and Polestar have made a few changes to the engine around the oil pump and flow, but are still baffled as the problem didn't occur last year.
"It's not good to be having these engine dramas," said McLaughlin, "but the boys are working really hard to get on top of the problem and get it sorted.
"It's not only that. You know I had that jumpstart and a few other things haven't gone our way. We just need to get on top of the issues we're having, of which some are out of our control.
"We're trying to cancel out all the issues by going to a new car and I know there are no chassis issues.
"We had a shakedown test in it last week and it went well. In testing you're by yourself so it's hard to say what the car will be like in a race, or even qualifying.
"It felt good though and we've got a lot to look forward to. Every round from now on is important and we have to capitalise on every opportunity to get good results. If we finish in the positions we qualify in there would be no dramas, but we're not finishing races and that's where we have to step up - making sure we finish the race."
McLaughlin is confident that if everything goes according to plan he and the team will have a good weekend at Barbagello. It was there he scored his first official win for GRM and Volvo Polestar Racing last year.
He needs to get going in the championship now if he's to get back among the early frontrunners, and having another DNF or engine failure is not an option.
"If we can get inside the top seven or eight before the enduros begin we'll be in with a good shot [championship].
"We have a good endurance campaign set to go and if we have a good Bathurst [300 points up for grabs] it's all game on," said McLaughlin.
Pitstop
Pedersen back in black
Kiwi V8 Supercars team Super Black Racing has announced main driver Andre Heimgartner's endurance co-driver. Ant Pedersen will again belt up in the all-black car and the pair will hope to repeat their Bathurst result from last year where they crossed the line in a creditable 11th spot.
Drysdale leads karters
Dylan Drysdale leads a three-strong Kiwi contingent across the Ditch to race in the third round of the Australian Rotax Pro Tour kart series at Wodonga, Victoria. Fifteen-year-old Drysdale is second behind Aussie Zane Morse in the Junior Max class. Since the last round he has won the New Zealand Junior 100cc title at the Sprint Nationals.
Chip off old block
Sticking with karting, the 2014/15 Bayleys WPKA Goldstar Series is going down to the wire at the final round in Hawkes Bay this weekend. Just one point separates the leader and runner-up in three of the seven classes, and Ronan Murphy, son of former V8 Supercars driver Greg Murphy, has a one-point lead in the Junior 100cc Yamaha class.
Kiwis arrive in Spa
World Endurance Championship teams, including four Kiwis - Brendon Hartley, Earl Bamber, Mitch Evans and Richie Stanaway - have all arrived at Spa-Francorchamps, Belgium for the second round of the series. Most of the LMP1 cars will be in Le Mans trim as teams get in some last-minute race kilometres at this six-hour event before taking on the 24-hour race next month.
SpeedSport scholarship
The annual SpeedSport scholarship is open. The winning driver receives a $50,000 prize package that includes a season in the national Formula First championship. For the past 15 years the scholarship has produced some of our brightest racing stars who have moved on to make their mark overseas.
Under the hood
Not only did the early announcement of the 2016 Formula One calendar cause a bit of a stir (normally released in September), moving the opening race in Australia to April 3 has also raised a few eyebrows. It's as if F1 organisers are giving the bird to the German and Italian events telling them to get their respective acts together or miss out. Instead of messing with the race calendar, F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone and his mates should be concentrating on finding ways of getting the cars to race each other, rather than fresh air.
