Time is up for racing legend

ON the eve of his final race at Bathurst as a full- time Supercars driver, legend Craig Lowndes concedes defeat is inevitable.

Not in the Great Race, but in the other contest he’s entered this week against wife Lara in their caravan.

“We started a game of Scrabble on the way down,” Lowndes said.

“Let’s just say I’m closing the gap on her, I’m not quite there yet.”

Lowndes races in his 25th Bathurst 1000 tomorrow in front of 200,000 fans, and admits it will be a sad day as he prepares for retirement.

“It’s a chapter of a book, motor racing has been half my life, 22 of my 44 years,” Lowndes said.

“I’m really looking forward to the next chapter, I’m really comfortable with the decision we’ve made.

“A lot of people have come up to me and told me they’ve followed my whole career, so it’s a journey for everyone.

“It will be sad on Sunday. This is the fifth year I’ve raced with Richo [ co- driver Steven Richards].”

The six- time Bathurst champion paid tribute to Lara, a management consultant who handles much of their racing business, as well as sitting on the board of the Prince Charles Hospital Foundation in their home town of Brisbane. “She is a massive help. I wouldn’t be able do what I do without her,” Lowndes said.

“She organises drinks and towels for me and Steve over the course of the race.

“We manage ourselves; that is a huge time commitment, besides organising diaries and functions, which is a huge part of my life.

“And the other side is that she balances that with her own work. A lot of the time we’re time- poor, so organisation is critical.”

The couple, who married in 2015, have made a routine of driving to Bathurst from Brisbane in their caravan and catching their dinners on the way down.

“The trip we take down the east coast, this is our fifth or sixth time, it is the calm before the storm,’’ Lowndes said.

“It’s nice to have balance, have the road trip down.

“We get up early and go training, whether it’s stand- up paddle boarding, road riding on our mountain bikes, or swimming.

“We both enjoy getting out and seeing Australia.’’