FAN favourite Craig Lowndes’ hopes of jagging an eighth Bathurst 1000 victory have seemingly evaporated just 17 laps into the race.
The Triple Eight-run Supercheap Auto wildcard Camaro was running 14th with Lowndes at the wheel when its gear lever mount broke.
It happened on the way up the Mountain, leaving Lowndes to limp back to the pits before pulling into the garage.
The car lost three laps while the offending item was replaced, eventually rejoining with co-driver Zane Goddard at the wheel.
A handful of cars suffered gear lever mount breakages earlier in the season, but the issue appeared to have been solved via an update to the category-mandated part.
It’s the second time in eight years that Lowndes’ Bathurst has been scuppered by a gear lever issue.
“When I went down a gear into the Cutting, the whole lever went forward and I’m like ‘this is not good’,” Lowndes explained.
“It was a bit of a flashback to Richo (Steven Richards) and I (in 2016), when he broke the rose joint.
“We’re actually praying for a couple of Safety Cars, a couple of ‘lucky dogs’, that would be really nice right now.”
The Triple Eight wildcard’s only hope now is of benefitting from the ‘lucky dog’ Safety Car wave-by rule which allows drivers to regain lost laps.
The delay marks a cruel blow for co-driver Goddard, whose wildcard chance was billed as an opportunity for redemption after causing a high-profile crash early in the 2022 race.
Craig Lowndes forced into the pits from a broken gear lever mount!
— Supercars (@supercars) October 8, 2023
Car #23 also flies off the track at The Chase.
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