Matt McLean (born 1 October 1996) is an Australian racing driver from Melbourne, Australia. He is currently competing in the Dunlop Super2 Series with Eggleston Motorsport, driving the No. 54 Holden VF Commodore.[1]
| Matt McLean | |
|---|---|
 McLean on the podium at Bathurst 1000 | |
| Nationality |  Australian |
| Born | 1 October 1996 Melbourne, Australia |
| Super2 Series career | |
| Debut season | 2021 |
| Current team | Eggleston Motorsport |
| Car number | 54 |
| Starts | 8 |
| Wins | 0 |
| Podiums | 0 |
| Poles | 0 |
| Best finish | 4th (Round) in 2021 |
Career
editKarting
editMcLean began karting in 2004 at 7 years of age, mainly competing in club-level competition until entering his first season of National competition in 2015, winning on debut.[2] McLean went on to finish the season in 4th place.
After a successful year, McLean signed with DPE Kart Technology as an official driver for Arrow Karts, and went on to win his first Australian Championship with the brand in 2016.[3] The following year, he finished 2nd place in the Australian Championship, despite winning the most races, and reclaimed the title again in 2018.[4]
McLean also represented Australia at the World Final in 2017, where he qualified 1st before crashing out in the race.
In the latter stages of 2018, McLean partnered with Supercars Championship co-driver James Golding in an endurance karting race. The pair crossed the line 1st in a field including Bathurst 1000 champions Steve Richards and Chaz Mostert, and other Supercars Championship drivers Cameron Waters, Michael Caruso, Anton De Pasquale and André Heimgartner, as well as the best karters in Australia.[5] This result is believed to have kick-started McLean's Supercar career.
Kumho Tyre Super3 Series
editIn 2019, McLean made the step from karting to the Super3 Series after a successful evaluation with Image Racing/Erebus Academy, however only completed limited rounds with a best result of 4th place.[6]
Dunlop Super2 Series
editMcLean made his Super2 Series debut with Matt Chahda Motorsport at the 2020 Bathurst 1000, the final event of the season.[7] He finished 10th place in Race 1 of the weekend, but suffered a stuck-throttle while in 8th in Race 2 - ending his race in the wall with just one lap to go.
In 2021, McLean signed with Eggleston Motorsport for his first full season in the Super2 Series,[8] putting the No. 54 Holden VF Commodore on the front row in the first session of the season. McLean's first three rounds consisted of finishes of 5th, 6th and 4th, claiming Rookie of the Round for the first three rounds consecutively, resulting in winning Rookie of the Year, claiming 5th outright for the 2021 Super2 Series, and winning the prestigious Mike Kable Young Gun Award.[9]
Career results
edit| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/laps | Podiums | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Australian Kart Championship | Melbourne Kart Centre | 20 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 4th |
| 2016 | Australian Kart Championship | DPE Kart Technology / Arrow Karts | 25 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 1st |
| 2017 | Australian Kart Championship | DPE Kart Technology / Arrow Karts | 25 | 12 | 2 | 2 | 17 | 2nd |
| 2018 | Australian Kart Championship | DPE Kart Technology / Arrow Karts | 25 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 16 | 1st |
| 2019 | Kumho Super3 Series | Image Racing / Erebus Academy | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 11th |
| 2020 | Dunlop Super2 Series | Matt Chahda Motorsport | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15th |
| 2021 | Dunlop Super2 Series | Eggleston Motorsport | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5th |
* Season still in progress
Super2 Series results
edit(key) (Race results only)
| Super2 Series results | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | Position | Points | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | Matt Chahda Motorsport | FG X Falcon | ADE | ADE | ADE | SYD | SYD | BAT 10 |
BAT Ret |
15th | 78 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | Eggleston Motorsport | VF Commodore | BAT 6 |
BAT 5 |
TOW1 8 |
TOW1 8 |
TOW2 6 |
TOW2 6 |
SMP 10 |
SMP C |
BAT 11 |
BAT 6 |
5th | 849 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Matt McLean". Supercars. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "OPENING ROUND WINNERS CROWNED IN MELBOURNE". Karting Australia. 5 April 2015. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "Australian Karting Championship, Port Melbourne's Todd Road Karting – September 25 2016, RND. 5 | Kart News". www.vroomkart.com. 26 September 2016. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "AUSTRALIAN CHAMPIONS CROWNED FOR 2018". Karting Australia. 2 September 2018. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "High Energy at 4-Hour Enduro – KartSportNews". Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "Karting champion joins Image for 2019 Super3 season". Speedcafe. 21 March 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "Second Chahda car locked in for Bathurst". Supercars. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "Eggleston finalises Super2 line-up". Speedcafe. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
- ^ "McLean's top Super2 rookie status continues". Supercars. Retrieved 9 August 2021.