Take trip down memory lane withsome of Craig Lowndes’ defining moments …
STORY: DYLAN GULSON
IMAGES: AN1 IMAGES
SUPERCARS legend Craig Lowndes announced today he will step down from full-time driving at the end of the current Virgin Australia Supercars season, bringing to a close one of the most successful Australian motorsport careers.
The announcement – which you can read about here – took place ahead of the Townsville 400, leaving many saddened by the departure from full-time Supercars competition of the fan favourite.
Lowndes has notched up an incredible record of 106 ATCC/Supercars race victories, six Bathurst 1000 wins and three Championship victories in a career spanning 24 years (21 full-time years) in Australian touring car competition.
As the 44-year-old brings to a close an outstanding era of full-time driving we dived into the V8 Sleuth archives to take a look back at 10 defining moments in Lowndes’ career.
1994 Tooheys 1000, Bathurst – Brad Jones/Craig Lowndes #015 VP Commodore
1996 ATCC Round 1, Eastern Creek, Race 2 – Lowndes’ first ATCC race win
1996 AMP Bathurst 1000 – Lowndes’ first Bathurst victory with Greg Murphy
1998 SATCC Round 10 Oran Park – Lowndes clinches his second ATCC title for the Holden Racing Team
1999 Sensational Adelaide 500 Leg 2 – Lowndes comes from last on the grid to win the first Adelaide 500
1999 SCS Round 8 Calder Park – Lowndes is involved in a massive roll-over in his HRT Commodore
2001 Clipsal 500 Adelaide – Lowndes shocked the motorsport world by defecting to Ford for 2001 and came out of the gates firing with a win in the third race of the season in Adelaide
2006 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 – Lowndes and Whincup take victory in The Great Race just weeks afterLowndes’ mentor Peter Brock tragically passed away.
2008 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 – Lowndes and Whincup become only the second duo in history to win three Bathurst 1000s in a row
2015 V8 Supercar Championship Round 5, Hidden Valley, Race 2 – Lowndes becomes the first driver in ATCC/Supercars history to win 100 races