It’s the age-old joke, calling someone a ‘Volvo driver’ if they couldn’t drive. Well, now we are the ones who should be laughing because Volvo are a dominant force. 

Scott McLaughlin racing at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide. Photo: Mark Horsburgh

Volvo is a name synonymous to car manufacturers, and one that has had its fair share of jokes, but this year Volvo has smashed its debut in the V8 Supercars, exceeding everyone’s expectations.

The S60 V8 Supercar was entered this year by Garry Rogers Racing, and developed by World Touring Car team Polestar Racing who have re-created a car suitable for Australian circuits and an engine competitive enough to run at the front of the first race of the season.

It already appears much stronger than last year’s new manufacturers Erebus and Nissan.

Not only have Polestar and Rogers come together to create a blue-montser, but with a team of drivers including superstar rookie Scott McLaughlin and Swedish World Touring Car driver Robert Dahlgren, you have a team ready to smash some records.

At the Clipsal 500 Adelaide, McLaughlin made the crowd roar with his late-race manoeuvre on current V8 Supercar Champion Jamie Whincup,  giving Volvo their first ever podium in the category.

And of course for our at-home entertainment, McLaughlin dropped the f-bomb on live television.

As McLaughlin explained, “I just plucked her in first, gave it some jandal and f*ck yeah!”….and to explain what exactly a ‘jandal’ is

Not only did Volvo make history placing on the podium, GRM actually sold out of merchandise at the Clipsal 500 Adelaide round and were automatically on back-order as fans demanded for more Volvo merchandise!

The team continued to power on two weeks later in Melbourne for the Australian Grand Prix, breaking Shane van Gisbergen’s hat-trick of race wins to take out their first ever V8 Supercars victory.

McLaughlin managed to stay out of trouble, and the car managed to pull-through for history to break, putting the team in an even stronger position for the next round at Symmons Plains Raceway in Tasmania on March 28-30.

Just in case you missed the social media frenzy Volvo and McLaughlin started, you can show your support by using the hashtag #jandalarmy.

Written by Loren Hazelwood @LorenHazelwood

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