Supercars champion Scott McLaughlin stunned the racing world after defying expectation in an IndyCar testing event in Texas.
He finished third overall, but he's putting his IndyCar dream on hold for now.
"It was everything I thought it would be, I learnt a lot in my first test," McLaughlin told Newshub.
He impressed with a third-place finish, beating some of IndyCars best drivers and catching the racing world by surprise.
"It's staggering, it really does epitomise the definition of the word 'incredible' what he has done," Kiwi Supercars legend Greg Murphy told Newshub.
After growing tired of Supercar's track politics following his Bathurst win last year, McLaughlin lined up a drive in an IndyCar test.
"Every time you're at the top someone wants to try and drag you down, that's just how sport is," McLaughlin added.
His first race is scheduled for the Indianapolis Grand Prix in May.
Murphy is expecting McLaughlin to earn a full-time role, following an outstanding showing first-up.
"This is a massive step for him, and he's been handling it so far as an absolute professional as if he's been doing it for a long time. It's been phenomenal to watch," Murphy told Newshub.
But McLaughlin wants a third successive Supercars title and insists that's his main focus this year.
"I've been really motivated. It's easy to take your foot off the pedal when you're at the top, you gotta make sure that you keep focused." McLaughlin told Newshub.
A third title would likely complete his Supercars chapter - and a move to the US seems imminent.
"He's a brilliant race car driver and potentially the best we've ever seen. I think it said a lot about what his future holds," Murphy told Newshub.
There's still some time to wait, but McLaughlin's IndyCar career is certainly off to a fast start.
