Triple Eight farewell yet to sink in for Lowndes

By Thomas Miles

Date posted: 8 October 2025

Every Great Race is special, but 2025 will have an extra impact for Craig Lowndes as it will be his last with Triple Eight Race Engineering.

The 2025 Bathurst 1000 closes the curtain on the longest-running driver-team union in history, spanning 20 years since 2005.

Since then, both the driver and the team have risen from being an unknown commodity to record-breaking heights.

After 583 races, 92 wins, six Bathurst 1000 wins and seven team championships, Lowndes will have an emotional farewell from the team that gave his career a new lease of life after tough times at 00 Motorsport and FPR.

It is appropriate that the final chapter will be written at Mount Panorama, given it is the scene of his biggest moments from 2006 to 2018.

However, the gravity of the situation will not fully sink in until Bathurst Day itself.

“It will sink in once we get to Bathurst and the weekend unfolds, getting closer to Sunday,” Lowndes told Auto Action at The Bend.

“That is when it will get a lot more emotional. Especially come Sunday when we are on the grid, knowing it will be the last time we represent Triple Eight.”

Lowndes will race with a slightly tweaked livery as the Supercheap Auto colours have adopted some of the 2012 Team Vodafone scheme.

Craig Lowndes’ Bathurst livery. Image: Supplied

The seven-time Great Race winner genuinely believes he and rookie Zach Bates can fight for a podium.

“We have just done the reveal and the team told me to not to come to the workshop and do this instead which was a great surprise,” Lowndes said.

“It was nice of the team to do a livery, but it is more about the now, trying to get a result and finish my chapter with Triple Eight the best way we can.

“Last year we were on target to have our best result and could have been on target for a podium.

“Of we can get the car in the window and I can give Zach a good position, we can definitely be in the fight for sure.”

Craig Lowndes racing for HRT in the 1994 Sandown 500.

It will also be Lowndes’ 32^nd Bathurst 1000 start, drawing level with the one and only Peter Brock, who mentored the three-time champion in the early 1990s when “The Kid” stunned the world at HRT.

“It has been quite amazing and I did not start this journey thinking about those numbers,” he said.

“Matching Brock is special because he was the one who helped me out to understand the mountain and what it needs back in 1994.

“Hopefully, I can pass that wisdom onto Zach and we can have a great weekend.”

Despite closing the Triple Eight chapter, Lowndes looks back with plenty of fondness as he will always be one of the key foundations of creating the most successful team ever.

“We have travelled the world with racing through Triple Eight,” he said.

Triple Eight celebrates its first win with Craig Lowndes at Eastern Creek in 2005.

“The belief was there with Roland Dane in that initial conversation.

My favourite moment was the first win at Eastern Creek in 2005 because that is when the team went from being believers to believing.

“Everything changed that day and Roland’s belief was incredible and it turned my career around.

“Jamie (Whincup) and the board are continuing that legacy along and I wish them all the best.”

Alongside Lowndes in the Supercheap Auto #888 wildcard will be youngster Bates, who will be honoured to be a part of some history.

“You forget he has won almost 120 races and he has had such an incredible career and with Triple Eight as well,” Bates said.

“I am very fortunate to be along for that ride, and seeing the reactions has already been incredible at the signing sessions.

Craig Lowndes and Zach Bates. Image: Supplied

“For me to learn the off track side of things from him, makes him the perfect role model.”

Rookie Bates and veteran Lowndes made good ground in the AirTouch 500 at The Bend, rising 10 spots, the second most in the field to be 16^th.

“It was always going to be a tough weekend being the first 500 at the Bend,” Lowndes reflected.

“It is actually a very physical track so we probably all underestimated the physicality and tyre deg.

“We all thought it would be pretty smooth in the sense of looking after the car, but actually it was the opposite.

“The tyre wore out and you saw the times drop off a lot. We will all take a lot of learning out of it.”

All eyes will be on Lowndes and the #888 to see if he can give the team he will forever be associated with a fitting farewell.

Image: Peter Norton

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Triple Eight farewell yet to sink in for Lowndes

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