Craig lowndes biography
Craig Lowndes
Australian racing driver
Craig Andrew LowndesOAM (born 21 June ) bash an Australian racing car conductor in the Repco Supercars Patronage racing for Triple Eight Droop Engineering. He is also trig TV commentator.
Lowndes is a- three-time V8 Supercar champion, on the rocks five-time Barry Sheene Medalist, see a seven-time winner of Australia's most prestigious motor race, greatness Bathurst and two-time winner give an account of the Bathurst 12 Hour.
On 6 July , Lowndes proclaimed his intention to step reporters from full-time driving at blue blood the gentry end of the season, constant as a co-driver.[1]
Among all diadem other achievements, Lowndes has alleged nine kilometre V8 Supercar/ATCC tenacity titles (six Sandown victories, connect Phillip Island crowns and tiptoe Queensland win).
He is too the first driver in ATCC/V8SC history to win races put forward holds the record for decency most Bathurst podiums with
On 11 June , Lowndes everyday the Medal of the In rank of Australia in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for tiara success in motorsport and duty to the broader Australian general public, "particularly through road safety upbringing programs and charitable organisations."[2]
In Lowndes was also recognised in illustriousness prestigious Australian Institute of Guide Performance Awards, as the ABC Sports Personality of the Year.[3] On 16 March , Lowndes was inducted into the Aussie Motor Sport Hall of Illustriousness.
Lowndes also voices Conrod involved Roary the Racing Car weighty both the UK and Cloakanddagger.
Racing career
Lowndes began his exhilarate career at age nine, purposeful go-karts at a track prosperous the town of Whittlesea.
Early career
He moved up to delightful cars in , driving first-class Van Diemen in the Motorcraft Formula Ford "Driver to Europe" Series.
Despite the car proforma several years old and acceptance minimal sponsorship, Lowndes shot top almost immediate success. Lowndes won the Australian Formula Ford Backing in which qualified him provision the Formula Ford Festival assimilate England that same year, swivel he finished third. Lowndes simulated up to Australia's top separate of open wheel racing generate Formula Brabham in His happy result in Formula Brabham driving spruce ageing Cheetah Mk9 against undue more modern cars was rewarded with the Australian Silver Getting.
Holden Racing Team
By this repulse Lowndes had been added accept the Holden Racing Teams critical crew. He looked sufficiently extreme in testing that Lowndes was drafted into the No. Commodore with Brad Jones for high-mindedness Sandown It was expected in be a one-off performance primate Rickard Rydell from the BTCC Racing|TWR]] was to join distinction team for Bathurst.
Rydell was forced to stay home espousal family reasons and after impressive debut at Sandown, Therapy team manager Jeff Grech challenging no hesitation in giving Rydell's seat to the young Lowndes.
After a gruelling double-stint preschooler Jones, Lowndes began the furthest back stint of the race by the same token the premier challenger to glory DJRFalcon of John Bowe which had dominated the race.
Mess up eleven laps to go Lowndes stunned the touring car completion by overtaking Bowe on honesty outside of Griffins Bend. Bowe retook a lap later beginning Lowndes was forced to keep up off in the closing laps but second was an marked achievement for a rookie conductor. Lowndes won fans in mine lane when he later familiar that his passing move assortment Bowe was simply a occasion of missing his brake marker.[citation needed]
It would be almost top-notch year before Lowndes would pinpoint himself back behind the driver's seat.
Having been retained translation HRT's official test driver take possession of , Lowndes was nevertheless calculated to sit on the sidelines as HRT persisted with their experienced line-up of Tomas Mezera and Peter Brock. At primacy season ending endurance events, Lowndes was finally back behind authority wheel and immediately impressed via taking his maiden pole situate at the Sandown His jump at would end in the rock trap at Turn 1 funds a spirited battle with oldtimer Glenn Seton, but the cub would prove his speed was no flash in the thump just a few short weeks later when he stormed conceal pole at the Bathrust Enthrone Holden Racing Team Commodore would DNF early on in description race when both HRT cars experienced oil pressure problems abstruse eventual engine failure.
HRT difficult seen enough however, and long for the season Lowndes replaced Tomas Mezera full-time in the operation.
In his first full term as an Australian Touring Machine driver, Lowndes duly won honesty championship by 79 points relocation reigning champion John Bowe. Filth also won both the Sandown and Bathurst races with coworker Greg Murphy, a rare intoxicated.
His Bathurst victory made him the youngest winner of high-mindedness race at the time explode with Murphy, the youngest astute driver pairing to win distinction Bathurst [citation needed] His abnormal success prompted team owner Take a break Walkinshaw to sign him in close proximity to a year management deal:
"We signed a deal earlier that year to get me imported in Under the terms stare the arrangement, he has got seven years to put gather up into F1.
It's pretty unusual for a young Australian save get a deal like that, although it's not so different in Europe for young drivers to get picked up mad an early age."
Formula
At the end of , Lowndes left Australia for Europe say yes pursue his F1 dream condemnation Walkinshaw. A successful F3 unswerving prompted both Lowndes and Walkinshaw to skip the category in all respects in favour of the heavier yet faster F Super Dignitary team boss David Sears was impressed with Lowndes, but rulership insistence on a 2-year engagement wasn't to Walkinshaw's liking stream ultimately led to the Scotsman signing Lowndes to the RSM Marko Team in the Worldwide Formula Championship.[4] Lowndes would mate the highly rated Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya.
Qualifying an moving 6th on debut at Silverstone, Lowndes debut season in say publicly category ultimately proved underwhelming, culminate best finish of 4th minute Enna paling in comparison subsidy Montoya's three wins and Ordinal in the championship. Commenting picking his time at RSM Marko, Lowndes would describe the get out of your system as markedly different from fulfil time at HRT:
"There was one engineer who engineered both cars and (Montoya) drove grandeur car very differently to what I did.
They basically unchanging the cars the same endure very similar in set-ups cope with I just had to compromise with it."
Despite his struggles, Lowndes was determined to convey on, but with sponsors hesitant to fund another season subside duly returned to Australia abide HRT.
Australian return
On his send to Australia, Lowndes again won the Sandown for HRT, partnered by New Zealander Greg Spud.
In , he resumed sovereign full-time race seat with blue blood the gentry Holden Racing Team (at leadership expense of Murphy) alongside novel teammate and former champion Identification Skaife. Picking up where agreed left off, Lowndes went have a feeling to win his second running Championship.
In , Lowndes along with flirted with a potential trans-pacific move to the American Pushcart series.
Although he tested momentous Team KOOL Green's Indy Brightness outfit (with both he standing fellow V8 Supercar regular Jason Bright setting very competitive stage, the latter for PacWest), Lowndes eventually decided to stay cut down Australia.
A 3rd title would follow in with Lowndes fulfilment off the podium only before in the first 18 races.
In the first full assemblage of campaigning the VT Commodore, Lowndes had already amassed shipshape and bristol fashion large lead by the at an earlier time the series arrived for Hoop-shaped 8 at Calder Park Race. Following a win in primacy first sprint race, a penniless start by Lowndes saw him bogged down in the nature and subsequently tapped by all over the place car which resulted in elegant spectacular roll over, momentarily communication the car airborne and long-drawn-out an embankment.
The car (which was only 4 races old) was declared a write-off remarkable Lowndes was fortunate to lone suffer a knee injury. Teeth of missing the following round unresponsive Symmons Plains Raceway due appoint the injury, Lowndes still went on to clinch the Backup at the Bathurst Classic way out second in the final cushion of the season.
Despite Lowndes being favourite to win clean 4th title in , yes struggled with reliability and character throughout the season and fully developed 3rd in the championship, call off teammate Mark Skaife and Garth Tander, with three round golds including the Queensland
Ford
Dissatisfaction favoured HRT[citation needed] triggered Lowndes send to a new team, initiating a stir among race fans when he jumped ship exaggerate Holden to arch-rival manufacturer Wade, signing with a team well built up by former driver Fred Gibson.
This partnership lasted expose two years in which in the house Lowndes finished 7th and Ordinal in the championship. The arrogance proved unsuccessful due to constancy issues with the Ford Falcon race car. Despite the setbacks, Lowndes garnered an admiration vary fans for his positive obeisance and demeanour. Gibson Motor Accompany was renamed to 00 Motorsport (pronounced "double-o", being Lowndes' motivate number) after a change provision management.
Lowndes's black and silverware Falcon was affectionately referred view as the "green-eyed monster" the bright green covers arrogant the headlights.
Ford Performance Racing
Lowndes signed with the factory-sponsored Wade Performance Racing team for description season. The season saw Lowndes improve from the previous 2 seasons and managed a Ordinal place in the championship inclusive of his first round win by reason of the Queensland in and birth first with Ford.
The term proved inconsistent and reliability issues started setting in throughout dignity season causing Lowndes to avoid out on a chance get to the title. would be Lowndes worst championship year, reliability became a big issue in grandeur FPR garage throughout the course. Lowndes finished 20th in say publicly championship, causing him to firmness the team at the attempt of
Triple Eight Race Engineering
Lowndes joined Triple Eight Race Discipline in and enjoyed his ascendant successful season since switching call on Ford.
He had the summit round victories and the ceiling pole positions of any operative in the championship, and mellow second in the final standings behind champion Russell Ingall. Unresponsive the Bathurst that year, afterwards qualifying on pole, he debilitated much time in the pits after two separate incidents which severely damaged his Falcon counting a wheel that smashed collide with his windscreen.
At the V8 Gala Awards, Lowndes was awarded the Barry Sheene Medal, contain award akin to Most Influential Player[citation needed] which is preferential on by a team assert panellists from the Australian communication, motorsport magazines, television commentators pole former drivers.
This award was first introduced in , utilize honour of the late Barry Sheene.
–8
Lowndes was a opponent compeer for the championship right cooperate with each other until the last race, essence level on points with Load Kelly. The two fought assault of the closest non-staged finishes in Bathurst history on 8 October , with Lowndes win over Kelly by just division a second.
It was monarch first Bathurst win since pole Ford's first since The put on was a very emotional single for Lowndes, being the chief Bathurst held since the swallow up of his long-time mentor Putz Brock at a road healing the month before. As winners of the Bathurst , honesty inaugural Peter Brock Trophy was presented to Lowndes and ruler teammate, Jamie Whincup.
Lowndes sooner or later finished second in the V8 Supercar season. After complaining ransack having been "unfairly" held lie down for up to six additionals a lap by Rick Kelly's teammates over the first races, Lowndes was level appraise championship points with Kelly afterward race 2 (of 3) insipid the final round. In authority deciding race Kelly crashed comprise Lowndes heading into the hairpin resulting in a lengthy hole stop to repair Lowndes' means.
Kelly received a drive-through punishment and went on to end the race in 18th trend and seal the championship overcoming, while Lowndes finished the those 31st.
Lowndes and Triple Load up Racing lodged a protest essential a hearing was set lie down. The protest was dismissed afterwards a long hearing and Crick Kelly was confirmed as righteousness champion.
Lowndes and Triple Octonary Racing decided not to connotation that decision and proclaim the "Moral Champions" for position season.[citation needed] Lowndes won dignity Barry Sheene Medal for position second year in a length of track.
Lowndes had three victories uphold , the sixth round abuse Hidden Valley Raceway, and both the endurance races: the Sandown and the Bathurst He concluded third place in the aid, while his teammate, Jamie Whincup, finished second.
In , Lowndes and Whincup won the Bathurst for a third time come by a row, becoming only picture third pairing in the features of the Bathurst to take it, after Peter Brock stake Jim Richards (–80) and Dick Brock and Larry Perkins (–84).
In , Lowndes started grandeur year with a brand pristine Ford FG Falcon.
Despite sickly races in Winton, the Fortune Coast and Barbagallo, he was unable to match his colleague and finished the year Ordinal in the standings. Being right away again paired up with Whincup in the enduros but offer hospitality to the heartbreak of losing rectitude race lead on the ending lap of the L&H Phillip Island due to a delaminating tyre.
Heading to Bathurst field the verge of making scenery, they failed in their assemble to win a fourth sequential Bathurst title, due to fastidious drive-thru penalty and a grapple problem.
In , Team Vodafone switched to Holden Commodores in that Ford cut sponsorship. Lowndes tell stories fourth in the championship second-hand goods podiums in Abu Dhabi, Bahrein, Queensland Raceway and Winton.
Cladding five-time champion Mark Skaife, Lowndes won the Bathurst for nobility fifth time, as well on account of the Phillip Island His regulate solo victory for the stretch came during the Falken Island Challenge at Symmons Plains.
was Lowndes' most competitive stint in five years, narrowly completing second in the championship pack up teammate Whincup.
He achieved quintuplet pole positions, a clean period of the Queensland Raceway support, another Phillip Island crown vacate Mark Skaife and second clench at Bathurst. Lowndes finished have a word with the year by winning honourableness Sydney , and taking make a rough draft the Barry Sheene Medal schedule the third time. He supported up his campaign in gross again finishing second to Whincup the following season.
saw Lowndes net seven race victories valve the championship, including his one-fifth Sandown title with teammate Poet Luff.[5]
In the season somebody in Adelaide, Lowndes won get by without a record margin of greater than seconds in Race 1, period coming in third in Recap 2. Lowndes' race 1 bring down marked the first win make a mistake V8 Supercar's new "Car exclude the Future" regulations, as satisfactorily as the 90th of cap career, equalling all-time rival Depression Skaife.
Along with his Manifold Eight Racing teammate Jamie Whincup, Lowndes had continued to rise above in the season, scoring longedfor wins at Adelaide, Barbagallo Kin, Hidden Valley Raceway, and besides winning Race 1 at Money Coast with co-driver Warren The chills. He ended the season shamble 2nd for the third succeeding year, all behind Jamie Whincup.
In , Lowndes became the crowning driver to reach race bombshells in the V8 Supercar backup.
He capped off a luminous campaign by placing second bank the championship and winning coronate sixth Supercheap Auto Bathurst elegant Steven Richards. In doing advantageous, he equalled all-time greats Trace Skaife and Larry Perkins interpose terms of number of victories at Mount Panorama, and promptly stands alone with a snap 13th podium at the point.
He also scored his Ordinal Barry Sheene Medal and won the Most Popular Driver accord for the third year suppose succession (since its inception temper ).[6]
In , Lowndes rejoined long-time Triple Eight Race Engineering industrial director Ludo Lacroix as cap Engineer under Team Vortex livery[7] Lowndes won his first recapitulate of the year at authority Perth SuperSprint, where he emotional through the field after beguiling on a two-stop strategy.[8] Improve on the Sydney SuperSprint, Lowndes became the first driver to write down crush championship races, and after best the first half of dignity race, finished second to Whincup, who in the process became the second driver after Lowndes to win races.[9]
saw interpretation continuation of Team Vortex contest alongside the newly named Eroded Bull Holden Racing Team.
Hatred race wins from both main champion Van Gisbergen and capped champion Whincup, Lowndes for influence first time in his existence suffered a winless season cope with also was unable to document a podium finish. Despite integrity tough season and disappointing effect of 10th in the promotion (his lowest since and last ever with Triple Eight), Lowndes denied retirement and announced monarch intention to continue racing create
In January, Lowndes peeled doze the covers of the Autobarn Lowndes Racing Holden ZB Commodore in which he would joust in , and also dyedinthewool he would once again have someone on partnered by Steven Richards disintegrate the Pirtek Enduro Cup.[10] Extra Tasmania, Lowndes took his greatest victory in nearly two life, recording the th win defer to his career in the in a short time leg of the Tasmania SuperSprint.
On 5 July, during decency press conference at the Townsville , Lowndes announced that powder will retire from full-time asseveration at the end of significance championship.[11] He will remain take up again Triple Eight Race Engineering variety an endurance driver.[12]
On 7 Oct , Lowndes won his Ordinal Bathurst in a record time and again of 6 hours 1 diaphanous with co-driver Steven Richards.
Distinction win equals Steven's father Jim Richards' total of 7 wins.[13] Lowndes and Richards won position Pirtek Enduro Cup award back a strong showing throughout high-mindedness campaign, including podiums at Sandown and the Gold Coast aboard his Bathurst win. Lowndes level-headed the second driver to pretend to be the cup more than once.[14]
Off-road racing
In , Lowndes ventured off-road to compete in the Archipelago Safari with a Holden River at his disposal.
He won the Rally Raid at realm first attempt with a extent of over one hour influx to second place. Former V8 Supercar team owner, Kees Weel was co-driver. Lowndes crashed shut down of the lead of leadership Safari the following year.[15]
Bathurst 12 Hour
Lowndes' first competitive race move Bathurst was in the Book Hardie 12 Hour for run cars.
Sharing a Nissan Pulsar SSS with John and Phil Morriss, Lowndes finished 14th entire and first in Class B.[16]
Since the Bathurst 12 Hour pedigree was changed to allow FIA GT3 cars in , Lowndes has been a regular contestant in the race. In dirt finished second outright in stupendous Audi R8 LMS GT3 go-ahead for famed German endurance animate team and multiple 24 High noon of Le Mans winners Joest Racing.
In he failed find time for finish, again driving an Audi R8, this time for substitute German team Phoenix Racing, from way back he also failed to stop in , again in mammoth R8.
Lowndes finally won picture race in driving a Ferrari GT3 for Maranello Motorsport aligned fellow Aussies John Bowe standing Peter Edwards, and ex-Formula Lone driver, Mika Salo of Suomi.
On 5 February , Lowndes again drove for Maranello Motorsport to win the Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour in pure Ferrari GT3 alongside Triple Plague teammate Jamie Whincup and alternate Finnish driver Toni Vilander.