Fairytale in fast lane
CRAIG Lowndes achieved a fairytale Bathurst 1000 win on his last full-time drive at Mount Panorama, partnering Steven Richards to achieve a stunning seventh triumph in the great race yesterday.
Lowndes capitalised on a badly timed cramp to race leader David Reynolds, which denied the Erebus Motorsport team a big chance to retain the Peter Brock trophy.
The 44-year-old Lowndes overtook Reynolds with 27 laps remaining, cruising to victory ahead of fellow Commodore Scott Pye and Warren Luff.
DJR Team Penske pair of Scott McLaughlin and Alex Premat were third. With a boisterous crowd chanting “Lowndesy, Lowndesy, Lowndesy”, their hero admitted his emotion.
“It’s almost like the ’06 back again I think,” he said, referring to his 2006 triumph which came weeks after mentor Peter Brock’s death.
“‘Richo’ and I came into this weekend with a lot of confidence off the back of Sandown. But you never know.
“We didn’t have the speed at the start of the race but we were hoping it would develop and the track would come to us. And it did.”
The success ties Lowndes with Jim Richards, the father of co-driver Steven, on seven wins, and leaves him behind only Brock, the King of the Mountain, with nine.
Steven Richards became a five-time winner.
After qualifying ninth, the planets aligned for car No.888 on race day. Favourites Jamie Whincup and Paul Dumbrell were brought down to earth early, losing a wheel down the main straight.
James Courtney and Jack Perkins retired with an oil issue, while Cam Waters’s codriver David Russell suffered a shunt from teammate Chaz Mostert to send him down the order.
And Lowndes and Richards steadily went to work.
The Red Bull Holden Racing Team Commodore brought serious speed and moved through the field.
But Reynolds’s pace looked too much as he steadily increased the gap.
But then heartbreak came, struck down with cramp.
The Erebus team pondered a late driver change. Reynolds opted to continue but he spun his wheels in pit lane, bringing a drive-through penalty.
Their dream was over and the title once again belonged to Lowndes and Richards.
“We’ve had an unbelievable weekend but to finish like that is incredible,” Richards said.