Scott McLaughlin earns impressive podium on Suzuka 1000 debut: "What an experience"

Scott McLaughlin claimed a respectable podium at the Suzuka 1000 km race. He was paired with Nicky Catsburg and Alexander Sims, as the trio finished P3 overall.

McLaughlin had announced his plans to race at the revived Suzuka 1000 km race with Johor Motorsports a month ago. Since the race weekend lay beyond the IndyCar racing schedule, he utilized this time to get to grips with the famous Japanese track.

He had qualified ninth for the race with a time of 2:01.648s, less than a second away from pole position. His stint, along with his teammates, helped them make several overtakes as they moved up the road.

Though BMW Team WRT had the easiest time out there as they claimed the race win with a 13-second-plus gap, the JMR trio took the chequered flag in P3 on the lead lap with the No. 2 Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R.

Happy with his race result, the New Zealander shared his excitement over on X, as he wrote:

"P3 👊 What an experience, Suzuka is a special place. Many thanks to Johor Racing and @teamchevy for the opportunity. Incredible week working with @alexandersims and @nickcatsburg, can’t wait to do it again! 🍻🍻🍻"

Scott McLaughlin

@smclaughlin93

P3 👊 What an experience, Suzuka is a special place. Many thanks to Johor Racing and @teamchevy for the opportunity. Incredible week working with @alexandersims and @nickcatsburg, can’t wait to do it again! 🍻🍻🍻 #Suzuka #Suzuka1000km

On the other hand, Scott McLaughlin's team for the endurance race was Johor Motorsports, who had a good day in the office with both their Corvettes.

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Scott McLaughlin's team secured a respectable result at the Suzuka 1000km

Scott McLaughlin - Source: Getty

While Scott McLaughlin, Alexander Sims, and Nicky Catsburg claimed a podium in the overall classification, JMR's second car in the Pro-Am category also secured a podium. This car was being driven by Jefri Ibrahim, Abu Bakar Ibrahim, and Konsta Lappalainen, who finished the chequered flag one lap behind the Pro-Am category winners.

The No. 99 sister car finished the race in P3 in the category and 20th overall. Meanwhile, content with his and his teammates' race results, McLaughlin showered some appreciation for Sims and Catsburg, as he said:

"P3 overall. [Alexander] Sims did well, [Nicky] Catsburg did an amazing job, he's a legend. Nice work."

On the other hand, McLaughlin is contracted as a Team Penske driver in IndyCar for the long term. His appearance at the Suzuka 1000 km could be compared to the 24 Hours of Daytona, which he has participated in for the previous three years.

So, his main focus lies on the premier open-wheel racing championship in the United States. However, the 2025 season was one of the torrid ones for the Kiwi.

McLaughlin ended the year as the sole Team Penske driver to have not won a race. Moreover, he was only able to secure three podiums on the road to claim a 10th-place finish in the championship standings, far away from his previous top-three standings position that he had secured in 2023 and 2024.

Thus, the 32-year-old would be hoping to have a better racing campaign during the 2026 IndyCar season.