Enduro win is a finale reward
CRAIG Lowndes has survived a chaotic weekend of racing to lift the Enduro Cup in his final season of full-time racing.
Lowndes and co-driver Steven Richards were crowned champions following a bizarre second day of racing that was called off after 41 laps due to substantial rain and storms.
The Triple Eight team were in danger of losing the lead of the Enduro Cup after being investigated twice by race officials, once for a collision with Warren Luff and the other for an unsafe release from pit lane.
But with race two cancelled and no points awarded, the duo, who have spent five years together, secured the trophy.
It followed a stunning Saturday where Lowndes, who is in his final year as a full-time driver, and Richards bounced back from their starting position at 21 to finish second.
“It’s special because I was lucky enough to win it when it was first introduced (in 2013),” Lowndes said. “Our main aim this weekend was to try and secure (the Enduro Cup). After (Saturday’s) qualifier we thought we were in danger of losing the lead and then of course both of us had a cracking race and it set us up for a good day (yesterday).”
Richards conceded he thought he might have cost the team the Cup after colliding with Luff.
“There is no doubt about that,” Richards said. “An element of luck has played a part for sure. Your heart sinks. I pride myself on not making mistakes and I made one that could have been very costly.”
Infringements had team staff scramble to determine whether Enduro Cup runnersup Scott McLaughlin and Alexandre Premat would win.
“It would have been interesting. I think we would have had to get back into the top 20 if they finished fourth or worse,” Lowndes said. “The boys were doing the calculations. It was still realistic.”
Lowndes and Richards finished third, first and second across the Enduro Cup rounds at Sandown, Bathurst 1000 and the Gold Coast 600.
Lowndes said officials made the right call to cancel yesterday’s race, which he compared to night racing.
“The heavens just opened up,” Lowndes said. “It was just too dangerous. It was like a night race. I kept asking if the rain was getting heavier because the spray off the cars in front was getting really bad.”