BATHURST DREAM
Former King of the Mountain keen to go out a winner
RETIREMENT-BOUND veteran Craig Lowndes says recent Supercars form will mean little at Mount Panorama - and he would know.
Ahead of his 25th and final Bathurst campaign as a full-time driver, Lowndes has experienced the Great Race’s highs and lows on his way to emerging King of the Mountain six times. The 44-year-old understands the recipe for success in the 161-lap classic on the mountain - and he has warned his Triple Eight team they haven’t got all the ingredients yet.
“You’ve got to be confident you have a car that flows at the top of the mountain, not just straight line handling,” Lowndes said. “And there are a lot of elements to get right. Lap one is completely different to lap 161. It’s not just who is fastest. You need a bit of luck too.”
EACH year Craig Lowndes and his wife Lara hitch up the caravan to the back of the car for the journey down the east coast from Brisbane to Bathurst for the Great Race.
The trip has become a ritual for the couple in the build-up to the biggest race on the Supercars calendar, a chance to unwind before the madness descends at Mount Panorama.
They stop to fish along the way, catching their own dinner if they bite.
And when they arrive in Bathurst, the caravan serves as a “home-away-from-home” at the track for Lowndes where he can enjoy the comforts of his own pillow and doona rather than staying in some rental. “The last five or six years we have been driving down with the caravan,’’ he said.
“It’s just a really good way to chill out and relax before the hectic week that we are about to approach.’’
But this year the pre-race relaxation time has also given Lowndes time for reflection ahead of an emotional time in his last Bathurst 1000 as a fulltime driver in Supercars. Not only will Lowndes be attacking the big race for the final time as the lead driver, he will be farewelling his partnership with co-driver Steve Richards, who he won the endurance classic with in 2015.
“Knowing that we are going to be back there again, although not as a full-time driver, I think the emotions are a little different,’’ Lowndes said.
“It will be an emotional weekend for me and Richo because it is the last time we will drive together. Since the announcement, every day I woke up and haven’t regretted it. It has definitely been the right decision and the right timing to move on.’’
A six-time winner at Mount Panorama, Lowndes is hungrier than ever to win the big race, 24 years after he made his debut on the Mountain. His record at the hallowed track is 12 podiums, including the six victories, and 17 top-10 finishes.
“I would love to win another Bathurst,’’ the 44-yearold said. “Hopefully this year can prove to be another fantastic weekend. The reason why we go to Bathurst every year is to stand on the podium. We’ll give this one big red-hot crack again and see where we can end up.’’
Lowndes sits on six Bathurst wins alongside Larry Perkins and Mark Skaife. Only Jim Richards (seven) and the late great Peter Brock (nine) are ahead of them.
I WOULD LOVE TO WIN ANOTHER BATHURST. HOPEFULLY THIS YEAR CAN PROVE TO BE ANOTHER FANTASTIC WEEKEND CRAIG LOWNDES