Tonight on Sunday ` the thin blue line laid bare. ...an inquiry into historic claims of sexual misconduct. She was the woman who brought the cops to their knees. ...vindictive, sex-crazed, racist... And the cop who saw it all from the inside. He said, 'Why don't you be like the other woman who was here? She used to bake.' What is your message to those officers? Taking on the old boys club at the cop shop. We take an oath to protect people. I put my face in the water and there it was. I did see a big grey head. Teeth like a big smile. And the Bite Club. It's an exclusive club to be in, but the initiation's a real bitch. Start it up, Scotty. I just go out there and put your balls on the windscreen and see how it goes. Fast, entertaining. COMMENTATOR: There's a new kid in town in the V8 supercars. His name is Scott McLaughlin. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2013 Kia ora. I'm Miriama Kamo. They were dark and scandalous days for NZ police. A decade ago, small-town girl Louise Nicholas claimed she'd been raped by police officers throughout her teens. There were trials in the courts and in the media too. But what happened next? Well, Sunday can reveal the woman who took on the police is now working with the police to clean up their image. And she's formed an unlikely alliance with a top detective. Jehan Casinader goes behind the thin blue line. It's a day no one saw coming. I was told I was nothing but an uneducated, vindictive, sex-crazed, racist, media-loving liar who enjoyed getting off on police uniforms. This is police national headquarters ` the last place you'd expect to welcome Louise Nicholas, the woman who exposed the biggest scandal in police history. I was really apprehensive, nervous as hell. I didn't know who these people were. My main fear was being judged. Wow. But today she's the guest of honour. ALL CHATTER < Who would have ever thought Louise Nicholas standing next to the Commissioner of Police? Not in a thousand years, mate, cos I sure as hell would never have believed it. Louise is here to work with the police. They want to use her story to change the way they investigate sexual abuse, an idea that Louise herself could never have imagined. I said to my kids, 'If you ever get into trouble or-or the police have pulled you up and say, '"You've got to come with us," you don't go nowhere. You run.' Louise Nicholas ` we all know the name, but here in Rotorua, she's just 'Mum'. What's it like having three girls in your house? What's it like having three girls in your house? Ah! Bloody nightmare. And I'm quite sure everybody who's watching tonight will probably sit there going, 'Yeah. I know what you're saying, girl!' Ow! She's a bit of a character. (CHUCKLES) You can have such a good time with her, but the thing I love about Mum is that she is so open. You can tell her anything, like even your deepest, darkest secrets, and she wouldn't judge you. But for two decades, Louise held a secret of her own. She alleged she had been raped by senior cops from the age of 13 to 18. But eventually, Louise chose to speak out. As scary as it is, um, it is definitely, definitely the right thing. Her decision to go public with those allegations... Good evening. An inquiry into historic claims of sexual misconduct... ...put not just the police, but Louise Nicholas herself on trial. The hardest part for Ross and I as parents was having to sit down and tell three little girls what happened. That was so bloody hard. And I remember McKaela coming up to me afterwards, and she said to me, 'Mummy, did those men hit you?' And I said, 'No, sweetheart.' I said, 'No, but they did some pretty mean things to Mummy.' I just walked into the bathroom and turned the shower on and just cried. It was unthinkable. Assistant Commissioner Clint Rickards and two other senior police officers were charged with heinous sexual crimes. But after two lengthy trials, a frenzy of media speculation, all three men were acquitted. What I do know is that she's a liar, and they've been proven over the last three years to be the liars that they are. What the jury was never told was that the other two officers, Brad Shipton and Bob Schollum, were already in jail for rape. When those men were acquitted, did you feel like you had been beaten? We didn't lose. I've never ever said we had lost, because we didn't. I was able to bring those people into that courtroom, and I made them accountable for their actions. The verdicts rocked the police force to its core. I knew what was going to happen that night. I remember at the briefing saying, 'We're going to come in for some... some flack.' I just knew it. Detective Inspector Tusha Penny was a young officer on the beat that night. She remembers the fallout. And sure enough, we walked through hotels, and we walked through homes, and groups of people... And, you know, we were called things like 'rapists' the entire night. Big hair and a bright dress ` not the look you'd expect from a cop of 21 years. But right from the start, Tusha Penny was never going to be just one of the boys. I remember being called into the Detective Sergeant's office one day, and he said to me, 'Look, why is it that you're trying to be like a guy?' And I said, 'What do you mean?' And he said, 'You know, let's not worry about how many arrests and everything you're getting.' He said, 'Why don't you be like the other woman who was here? She used to bake.' And you know what? I remember being in shock, to be honest with you. And I walked out, and I felt totally demoralised. But the knockers, the doubters were never going to hold her back. Tusha Penny rose steadily through the ranks, until the day she uncovered hundreds of child-abuse files police had ignored or overlooked. I mean, we are talking about kids being raped, children being abused. And, you know, you can't help but have your heart ripped out. And I remember reading these files, and then seeing something on the paper. It was about 2 o'clock in the morning, and I actually realised it was my tears because, I mean, literally, my heart broke. I was ashamed. I was ashamed because... You know, we take an oath. We take an oath to protect people, and when we don't, well, actually, there's no excuse. Tusha blew the whistle. Her discovery forced police bosses to reopen many cases, resulting in new trials and a high-level apology from police. Were you worried that speaking out might cost you your job? Either you keep your mouth shut and you stop rattling a tree, or you keep going if you know what you're saying is right and you truly believe in it. Look, was I prepared to lose my job? Did I think that that could possibly happen? Yeah, I was. But instead, Tusha was promoted and put in charge of child protection and sexual violence. One of her biggest tasks? To address the findings of a damning Commission of Inquiry into police conduct; an inquiry sparked by none other than Louise Nicholas. I lost my childhood, and I was never ever going to get that back. What I could get back was standing up and saying this bad stuff happened, and I don't want it to ever happen to anybody else. I admire that someone, um, can turn around and not worry about themselves but want to make a difference. Tusha realised that Louise's story could be a powerful tool to change police attitudes to sexual abuse and their own culture. Do you trust Louise? > Do you trust Louise? > I absolutely trust Louise. After the break,... I don't want you to worry about the camera, OK? ...Louise Nicholas goes inside the heart of our police force. Aren't police officers reluctant to nark on their mates? 5 First off, I don't want you to worry about the camera, OK? If you think it's tough for the police to confront their own problems,... Remarkably, she's prepared to work alongside the NZ police to actually help us... ...imagine how tough it is for Louise Nicholas to confront a roomful of cops. It is. It's horrific to a point where I actually asked, 'Who the hell is on trial here?' Because that's how bad it got. Louise has come here ` the police college in Porirua. She's helping police improve their services for abuse victims. Today, she's training new detectives on how to interact with rape survivors. The victim gets blamed for absolutely everything. You know, being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Wearing the wrong clothes. Having too much to drink. Alcohol doesn't rape. Rapists do. Short skirts don't rape. Rapists do. People do. The fact that I, you know... There were some bowing of the heads. There were some shaking of the heads. So I'm thinking, 'Ooh, do they believe me or have I upset them?' So what was the verdict on Louise's class today? It certainly made me feel, you know, a feeling of shame. You know, she's come a long way, and to have her on our side is just a magnificent thing for us, really. Without doubt, her session was received... probably the most outstanding rating I've actually seen from a course. So far, so good. But what's really needed is an unprecedented culture change; a total overhaul of the way police deal with victims and their own staff. That's what the Commission of Inquiry demanded, but report after report shows progress has been slow. It has been mixed progress. And they're right. And changing the police and changing institutions like ours, you know, it's quite hard making change. And it doesn't help when cops are still hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons. Over the last three years, dozens of police officers have been arrested and charged with committing criminal offences. What is your message to those officers? What is your message to those officers? Get out. It's simple. Get out, because 99% of the men and women they work with, would do anything they can for the police. We've got no room at all for people who don't want to be in it, and their values don't align. Get out! Aren't police officers reluctant to nark on their mates? There is no room for protecting your mates. There is no room for covering up. Tusha says what's needed is training, from junior cops right through to senior detectives like these. I want people to know that if they are a victim of sexual assault, that they can have confidence that they can walk into their police station and they will be treated as they deserve to be. OK, so how do you make those people trust police? Well, it's a little bit like anything. How do you make someone go to a hairdresser? You can put all the ads in the world in the paper. It doesn't mean they'll go. It's a thing called 'word of mouth'. Which brings us to that day Louise Nicholas and her daughters walked into police HQ in Wellington. She's here to launch with the police a new initiative to help victims understand the police process. How are you? How are you? I'm good, love. Is this just a great big PR exercise for the police? > No. And-And as you know, how many reporters were in the room? You. If I was going to do a really big PR exercise, I think I'd want it full. When I first joined police in 1972, it was no offence for a man to rape his wife. It just seems inconceivable that that environment existed in NZ. It's hugely important that you're here today, Louise, and we absolutely thank you and respect you for what you have done, and, indeed, what you're going to be doing in times to come. < He describes you as a friend of the police. Oh, really? Oh... Gosh. Well, that's what he told me. It's pretty extraordinary. Well, that's what he told me. It's pretty extraordinary. That's... Wow. No, I... Yeah. Cool. Neat. Does that surprise you? Does that surprise you? Yeah, actually. Um, in some ways it does. The biggest thing for me, um, you know, standing here today, is that for all the bad crap that went on in my life, so much good has come from it, and it's a huge honour and a huge privilege to be able to walk beside the police. It's a watershed day for Tusha Penny too. When I first started in the police, there was no way I would have wanted my daughter to join. Here, today, I would let her join. To me, that day was the biggest turning point in my life. That was a day where I was validated. That was the day a bit of history happened. If your daughters needed help today, would you tell them to walk into a police station? Absolutely. And I've told them that. < It's a big turnaround. < It's a big turnaround. 'It's OK to do that, girls, 'but ring me as well.' The Independent Police Conduct Authority made 34 recommendations to improve police practices. Tusha says they'll all be in place by the end of the year. Next, something called the Bite Club. People aren't scrambling to join. I put my face in the water and there it was. I did see a big grey head. Teeth like a big smile. I thought, 'This is it. This is the way I am going to die.' A couple of weeks ago we introduced you to Riley Elliot, the young marine biologist who loves sharks. The world's deadliest predator ` just loves them. So, I've just seen a nice blue shark approach the boat. I'm just going to jump into the water really quickly and swim with it. They are just stunning animals to see. Beautiful. They're puppy dogs. They've got teddy bear eyes. They come up and you can play with them, you know. They always look like they've got a cheeky wee grin. So, yeah, I love them. From teddy bear eyes to the other side of the story. They're a bunch of people who have good reason not to like sharks. They belong to the Bite Club. There's just one criteria for joining, and it's a terrifying one. Here's Alex Cullen. Put my face in the water, and there it was. I did see a big grey head. Teeth like a big smile. It's an exclusive club to be in, but the initiation's a real bitch. (LAUGHS) Bite Club. It's a cool name, eh? < First rule of Bite Club is to talk about Bite Club. (CHUCKLES) That's exactly right. That's exactly right. It all begins with a show-and-tell of a few of their smaller initiation scars. That's awesome. That's a better scar than I've got. All have scars on the inside too, and this weekend, they've all agreed to face their demons together. Face to face. Oh my God. Face to face. Are you all right? Are you all right? No, no. They are shark-attack survivors. < Well, these attacks, they are random, aren't they? These sharks don't discriminate. What we seem to have find is that they only go for really nice people. Because there was two in March, two in January, one in February, one in October. It was bright, sunny. 12 o'clock in the day. Um, I was only in about 7m of water. It wasn't choppy. The water was clear. It was the complete opposite to what people say is shark-attack weather. Elyse Frankcom has always had a special relationship with the ocean. She grew up at the beach, grew to love it. Usually, by the ocean, all my worries wash away. So it was natural that Elyse should find a job in the water. She was working as a dive tour guide at Rockingham, south of Perth, two and a half years ago. Her tour group included Trevor Burns, who was there with his wife and daughter. It was the last dive of the day. We were out snorkelling, swimming with some dolphins, actually. The moment she hit the surface and took a breath, I saw this grey thing come through, opened its mouth and grabbed Elyse by both legs. It was a great white shark ` 4m long. Just this massive force of just being kind of pushed, I guess. I knew it was a shark and we were in trouble. He automatically just grabbed the tail of the shark from behind. He just thought to himself that he has to get it off me, and he grabbed the tail of it and pulled it. You grabbed it by the tail? > Pretty much, yeah. Arms around it, held on, and went for one hell of a ride. Why did you do what you did? That's all I could do was just try and grab it. Had to do something. It was enough to cause the shark to let Elyse go. But in the turbulent water, he couldn't see her. I was unconscious at this stage. I do not have recollection of sinking. Hands above her head, eyes open, and just sinking. The shark could still be in the area with the blood and everything. He still dove down maybe 5m or so to grab me and pull me back up to the surface. All of a sudden, the water breaks and I resurface with a beautiful young girl in my arms. Took me back to the boat, and he was even the last one back on the boat, and made sure that I was safe. Elyse was on the back. The guys were doing everything they could for her. They had a strap on her, I believe, to try and cut the blood flow. Yeah, there was blood everywhere. It was a big mess. It was about 200 stitches, internal and external, with a couple of shark teeth pulled out of them as well, so, yay. He got a piece of me but I got a piece of him too. Come here. Thank you. Any time. If he didn't come back down for me, I would have either drowned or the shark would have come back for me. He is my saviour. He's my hero. He is the sole reason I am alive. I thank him with all of my heart, with all of my heart, for the rest of my life. Thank you. Paddy Trumbull is 63. She earned her Bite Club membership swimming on the Great Barrier Reef. It was just an almighty grab. It was a huge grab. Stopped me in my tracks, and I knew immediately that it was a shark. It was a bull shark. I turned around, and all I could see at the beginning was these teeth, and his... like a big smile and its pink and grey gums, and then I saw the fin, and I went into immediate fight mode. Didn't think of anything else but survival, and I knew that punching was the way to go. And I punched and I punched for dear life, and it was sort of like hard rubber. So you were punching and kicking it while it had you in its mouth? Absolutely. It did not let me go for that full 20 seconds. You could have died that day. > You could have died that day. > Oh, yes, definitely. Most definitely. I lost 40% of my blood. The top teeth were up the bottom of my back. I had no bottom there. So you had to get a whole new bottom? Yes, and you can see scars there. I asked for a Kylie Minogue, but I didn't get it. I actually thank my shark. I actually thank my shark. You thank your shark? I actually thank my shark. You thank your shark? For letting me live that night. Dave Pearson, the man behind Bite Club, is a father of two. His local beach is Crowdy Head on the New South Wales' North Coast, and, like every other survivor, Dave didn't see the shark coming. A bull shark just came straight up and he hit me from the front. It was just phenomenal, the force that it hit me with. He took me under the water with him, and I remember looking down thinking, 'Jeez, they do get it right in the movies. The water does turn red.' I remember sitting here watching one of the veins squirt blood probably past where you're sitting, and thinking, 'Jeez, that's not good.' One of Dave's mates helped him paddle to shore. They stopped the blood, saved his life. The physical scars eventually healed. The psychological wounds didn't. Dave reached out for help. We started Bite Club because if you're talking to someone who has been through the same experiences as you, it's like you understand each other straight away. Can we see it? Can we see it? Yeah, yeah. Sure. Oh, mate, it's just taken that whole piece of muscle... Yeah, just tore it out. Very aggressive, you know? Very aggressive approach. And that is 2kg of meat from there, isn't there? That's what the doctor says. That's what the doctor says. Mate. Lenny Folkhard is married to Angela and a father of three. I want my ice block now. I want my ice block now. You want your ice block? He was surfing off Redhead Beach near Newcastle when a 2m bull shark attacked. Came up hard from the bottom. Hit me like that, and we went over. Knocked me out at the same time, which is a blessing. So I was just unconscious getting flayed about while he took that piece of me. When Lenny came to, the shark had gone nowhere. It was still there. He was in the end of the blood trail just going slowly, following me like this just behind me, and then I just lost it. I really started, you know, panicking, pleading, 'Please don't eat me.' And he's not the only victim of his attack. His wife and children, including 11-year-old Grace, have suffered with him. You know, it just brings flashbacks. Like, every day it happens to me, I get flashbacks, and just seeing him in pain isn't fun. I'll bet. And do you appreciate Dad more than ever now? Yep. It's just amazing that he's here with us now. To be here for them is just great, in my mind, to be able to, you know... They don't have to say their father died from being eaten by a shark. What a... You know, that's ugly. The weekend was about taking small steps. The first was getting into the ocean. < Are you nervous, Paddy? < Are you nervous, Paddy? Yep. Freaking. Just all coming back a little bit. I know they say lightning doesn't strike twice, but of course it does. I'll look at people that are swimming or surfing in the water, just their heads bobbing out, and that's where I'll think to myself, 'You people are crazy. Get out of the water.' 'Don't you know what's in the water?' The plan was to do it together and support each other through it. A small step for most of us, a big step for the Bite Club. Oh, I turned around and there was a big, big, big shadow. And I was, like, 'What is that? What is that?' Then I saw a wave coming and... (LAUGHS) kinda forgot about it. < Paddy! How are you?! Well done. Well done. Well done. Thank you. How are you feeling? How are you feeling? I feel so good. How are you feeling? I feel so good. Yeah? I'm so glad I did it. I'm so glad I did it. Good on you. I'd do it again now. I'd do it again now. Yeah? Again and again? I'd do it again now. Yeah? Again and again? Again and again. All the members of the Bite Club carry mental scars, but one in particular has struggled to cope. MAN: All right, guys, are you ready to rock? Dave Pickering from Western Australia. He got to see the shark face to face as it came to attack him. It affected him quite severely, and we needed to do something to get him back on par with the water. He has been someone who has loved water his whole life, but he's not loving it any more, and that's why the idea of the shark dive came up. If we can get him in the water with us, face a bit of fear, and I'm sure it's going to be fear for all of us, it might help heal him a bit more as well. Dave Pickering has paid a very high personal price. Nice to feel the cold water on your feet. 'In January last year, he was in Coral Bay working as a tour guide, taking snorkelers to a nearby reef,' when a shark tore into his right forearm. The tail flicked out like that, and before I knew what I could do, I just sort of... Lucky I was on top of the water. I just brought a hand straight to it, popped it on its nose. Thankfully I did. Thank God I did that fast reaction because it just instantly let go and kind of just cruised past me down that way. That's when I saw the stripes. I knew it was a tiger shark. And I screamed, 'Get out of the water!' And I held that up so they saw it just pissing blood everywhere. What did this shark do to you? What did this shark do to you? Cut 13 tendons, all three nerves. The three nerves was the worst part. If it had bit me on that side instead of that side I probably wouldn't be here. It's not the attack, it's what happens after that that people aren't ready to deal with. I'm not going to lie. I went through depression. Started gambling. You drink. < Drugs? Um, there was a little bit of recreational, yeah. It's getting better. It's getting a lot better. I think just having a chat to the crazy doctor kind of helps that out, absolutely. It's more just anxiety, stress, depression. It kind of... You kick through it, and the good news is that it's getting better. The flashbacks have kind of slowed down. I still have nightmares a bit. Which brings us back to the Bite Club. Come upstairs and get into the water. Swimming in the ocean was only the first part of their joint challenge. Swimming with sharks was next. At Manly Aquarium in Sydney, it was time to face their fear... Oh, here they are. Oh! Here's Dave! ...and conquer it. Is that Dave Pickering? Look at him. Is that Dave Pickering? Look at him. That's Dave. Is that Dave Pickering? Look at him. That's Dave. Good on him. Wow. Big step for him, eh? Oh, here comes Elyse, is it? Yeah, here comes Elyse. Whoa! ALL EXCLAIM Here we go. Face to face. Oh my God. Face to face. Are you all right? Are you all right? Oh my God. No, no. Are you right there, mate? Are you right there, mate? I'm all right. Oh, right above him. Oh, right above him. Oh, Dave, look. I'm not looking. I'm actually not looking. The first shark that came past, and I'm, like, 'I'm not looking,' and then I go, 'Nah, bugger that. I did not come here not to look,' and the next one, I just stared right at him just, you know, face full of teeth, like, 30cm from your head. Did wonders for me. Look at Elyse. She can't get away. Oh, look, she's seen it. Oh, look, she's seen it. She all right? No, she's not liking it. She's not liking it. No, she's not liking it. She's not liking it. She's not liking it at all. Darling, it's good. It's good. It was opening its mouth, kind of very slightly and swimming towards me, and turned at the last second, but that had me against the tube thinking, 'Oh my God! Oh my God!' And same as Dave Pickering as well. I thought, 'Nah, stuff it,' turned around and it swam over the top of me. I kind of stared. My heart is going quite a bit but it was... It needed to be done. She's so brave. God, she's brave. ALL WHOOP, CHEER Except for Lenny, who had a crook ear and was unable to swim, all took the plunge. Face your fear. This is what it's about. If you can face your fear, you'll be right. It's not a club you'd join if you had a choice, but the people in it are very brave and very very special. Look at you! You are smiling, laughing, having the time of your life. I'm loving it, mate. Loving it. That was hectic, eh? Like, I'm so stoked that I did that. ALL: Bite Club! ALL LAUGH, CHEER In a moment, a young Christchurch man with Hollywood good looks, a great smile and a huge future. ENGINE ROARS COMMENTATOR: There's a new kid in town in the V8 supercars. His name is Scott McLaughlin. If you think all home-loan rates are the same, check out ANZ's best-ever home-loan offer, with all the bells and whistles. 4.95% per annum one year fixed, plus $1000 cash on us. Conditions apply. Hello again. Young, good-looking and on the fast track to fame. When Scott McLaughlin decided he didn't want to play rugby as a kid, he made a good decision ` a very good decision. His talents lie behind the wheel at 250km/h. And he's got some high-powered support. Here's Peter Cronshaw. Courageous! Fiercely competitive, and damn near unbeatable! COMMENTATOR: There's a new kid in town in the V8 supercars. His name is Scott McLaughlin. You are watching a Kiwi legend in the making. I never wanted to be a rugby player, a wake boarder or anything like that. I just want to go out and drive my race car, really, like a 10-year-old kid, but it's what I want to do. There you go. Sweet. In the space of a few short years, Scott McLaughlin has taken the V8 racetrack by storm. Everyone knows your face now, and it is pretty cool, and it is something that you go, 'Wow,' and wonder what that feels like, and now I sort of know. Hey, man, what's going on? You can't hear me. It's funny how it changes. You go from nobody to somebody in not long. At 16, he became the youngest-ever V8 driver. We should get a line going, guys. At 17, he became the youngest-ever championship winner. Organised chaos, mate. (LAUGHS) At 20, he is a racing sensation. Can you remember your first race? > Can you remember your first race? > Yeah, I do. I remember it was a have-a-go-day at Hamilton Car Club. And we went out there with Mum and Dad, and I was slow. I spun out a few times and stuff, but soon got the feel of it, and by the end of the day I felt pretty good and knew what I wanted to do ` I wanted to be a race-car driver. This kid with the driving ambition also had a determination to one day take on his hero, his idol, Greg Murphy. I remember he signed my go-kart in Hamilton when he came over and opened the track, when my dad was president there. And he stayed at my house, and I think I was like 7 years old. Yeah. It was like Santa Claus was staying in my house, so I was, like, nuts, man. I was, like, so happy. Yeah. That same year, aged 7, Scott got his first taste of victory. MAN: Scott McLaughlin. MAN: Scott McLaughlin. APPLAUSE Your first trophy must have been special? Your first trophy must have been special? Yeah. Slept with it. You slept with your first trophy? You slept with your first trophy? Yep. I don't know if it is normal, but it is what I did. For more than one night? For more than one night? Probably. I don't know. You'd have to ask Mum. It's a question Mum and Dad are only too happy to answer. Fell asleep in the car cuddling it. Had it in his bed and beside him on his pillow for three nights. Yeah. It was hilarious, actually. That was the first of many trophies Scott would bring home. At last count there were more than 280. He's on a great journey and he's in a real happy place, and he's just living the dream, as he says. You'll never take the racing away from him, so you've got to live with it. It's what it is, you know. For Scott McLaughlin, this is much more than a sport. It is the ultimate high. DRAMATIC MUSIC COMMENTATOR: Ooh, we've got one going around. Loses control. It's also a chance to test his metal against the man he's spent a lifetime idolising. Ooh, it's ended in tears. We've had tussles. I've spun him out once before, and I've never felt so distraught in my life. But he's almost like a brother to me, almost. Like, I treat him like that, or an uncle, you could say. It is pretty cool. In this arena, Uncle Murph is the crowned king,... COMMENTATOR: Yeah. Greg Murphy. Yes. Going down the inside of Scott McLaughlin. ...but he's keeping a watchful eye on his young challenger. A little lesson there from Greg Murphy. He's a great kid, you know. I mean, I'm just about old enough to be his father, so, uh, he's just determined. He's got a real calmness. You can see when you are watching him driving, he has got a real calmness about him and maturity. He's just 19. He's just 19. I don't need to be reminded. Because when you were in Bathurst, he was... > Because when you were in Bathurst, he was... > I don't want to hear it. ...1 year old. ...1 year old. Yeah. Thank you (!) Thank you very much (!) There's no denying Scott's career is on the fast track. He's got the wheels. The trick is to keep them on the tarmac. That was hard. (BREATHES HEAVILY) Does the thought of crashing scare you? Oh, sometimes, but at the moment I'm 19 years old. I'm not married or got kids. I'm my own person. Mum and Dad are there, but I go out there and just put your balls on the windscreen and see how it goes. Yeah. That is pretty much it. Getting in the passenger seat with a teenage speed fiend can be terrifying. Argh! Whoa! But words escape you when Scott McLaughlin is putting the jandal to the floor, and clocking up 230km in the straights, and not much less in the corners. Argh! The look on your face looked like you enjoyed it. I had my mirror set on you, and it looked pretty funny from my angle. This is where I'm going to close my eyes. My eyes were closed at one point. I wouldn't show that on national television. I wouldn't show that on national television. Should I cut that bit out? Probably. People might take the piss out of ya. A driver can lose 4 kilos during a race meeting. A passenger is lucky not to lose his lunch. How's that? Terrifying. Oh, mate, I was really brave, though. I only closed my eyes twice. Oh, mate, I was really brave, though. I only closed my eyes twice. < Did ya? Lucky I did that ` I took you for a ride then. I did it pretty clean, cos I actually hit the wall the next session, so you are lucky. (LAUGHS) After the break, the heartache of racing hits home when Scott hits the wall. HORN BLOWS Steve, I'll go down there! RT: Race Management. Race Management, car one is stopped in turn one. Be careful, please. 5 For the McLaughlins, race day is always a family affair. Dad drives the truck. Mum runs the kitchen. And even though it's Scott's name on the marquee, there is no special treatment for this sporting legend in the making. Life doesn't change much when you're at the top. Still an apprentice. I don't want to get arrogant, cos I think every time I say something, I know people sometimes don't laugh, and I go, 'Ooh, did that sound like I was up myself or something.' I hate that feeling. There's nothing worse. Your mum and dad would bring you down a peg or two if you showed arrogance. Yeah. Definitely. That's the way I am with them. It's like boom, boom, boom, boom, down that ladder. Pukekohe ` you can't beat it on a good day. Can't underestimate it on a bad one. This is not sensible at all. Call it experience or father's intuition, but there were some pretty obvious signs this was going to be a hard day in the office. This is not good. COMMENTATOR: There's a lock-up. And we've got sideways. We've had a huge bit of carnage here. That guy was completely out of control through no fault of his own. And, ohhhhh. Angus Fogg. He has destroyed the front end of his car. It is just safety, you know. Safety for the whole thing. But, hey, same for everyone. We can't do anything about it, so... Yeah. Anyway, see how we go. On this day, it all went pear-shaped when Scott slipped into the wall while warming up his tyres. HORN BLOWS Steve, I'll go down there. RT: Race Management. Race Management, car one is stopped in turn one. Be careful, please. It seemed Scott's race was over before it began. Don't worry about it. Eh? Don't worry about it. Get you back in pit lane. There's a lot of damage to the front. You are not going to be able to do the race. Will we get him out? Will we get him out? Shit, no. Under there is a massive amount of damage. All the bars are <BLEEP>ed. Yeah. I just couldn't believe it, like, I just don't... I make mistakes, but I don't do stuff like that on a warm-up lap. I was just angry with myself. So I was angry and disappointed for the boys, but I was almost, um, embarrassed, you could say. But racing is a funny thing. COMMENTATOR: And we've had a big old bash. That is Ash Walsh and Angus Fogg. He's out for the day, that one. This moment of madness and mayhem on the track was an unexpected bonus for Scott's team. Can we restart, can we? Scotty. Scotty, get your gear on, mate. Get your gear on. We'll do this. Yep, he's doing that. Just calm down. You'll be all right. You can get back out. This has been a massive one. Yep, yep. You're sweet. So you're all right. You're cool. The crash gave them enough time to rebuild the front end of the car and get Scott back on track. Start it up, Scotty. Start it up. ENGINE STARTS You'll never stop him from racing. He's a competitive directive. He knows where he wants to go. He's very focused. Yeah, pretty happy to be out here. The boys did a good job, Scotty. Put it behind you, mate. Go race hard. Race hard. < You must be proud of him? < You must be proud of him? Oh, absolutely. Probably more admiration than proud, you know. We absolutely admire the guy. He's a great mate. It's testament to Scott's unbelievable coolness under pressure that he managed to get back into the race... COMMENTATOR: And he does so at 245km/h. ...and salvage third place. For a young guy to have that kind of, sort of, old head, that doesn't happen very often. In here, they call you the king and him the pretender. No, he's not a pretender, but I wouldn't go prince just yet. Wouldn't go prince just yet. ALL CHEER, WHOOP I want to try and be at least the prince. I don't want to be a pretender. I put that to Greg Murphy, and he says you're not a pretender but you're not the prince yet either. Yeah, well, he's the king, so he decides. He might not be racing royalty yet, but this Aussie-based Kiwi is determined to take out a Bathurst championship, and when he does, he'll be doing it for pride and country. Are you Aussie or Kiwi? Oh, Kiwi, yeah. 100%. Because the Aussies are pretty good at claiming our top sportspeople as their own. They've claimed me a couple of times, and I'm, 'You can change that. 'I'm not an Australian. I'm not from Gold Coast. I'm from Christchurch and always will be.' Proud of it? Proud of it? Yeah, proud of it, no matter what happens. From Christchurch too! Yes! That's our show for tonight. 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