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One of the nation’s most popular sporting heroes, Craig Lowndes made an early debut in Australian motorsport, competing in his first event at just nine years of age.
Go-Karting was the starting point for the talented youngster, who quickly showed the potential to rise through the ranks, winning the national Formula Ford title in 1993 and the Formula Holden Silver Star class in 1994.
That success put him on the radar of prominent V8 Supercar team, Holden Racing Team (HRT), with Lowndes earning a drive in the endurance races and finishing second on debut at Bathurst in 1994.
Lowndes joined HRT fulltime in 1996 and was an instant success. He took out his first-ever championship round and went on to become the youngest ever Australian Touring Car Champion, before winning the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.
After an international venture in 1997, Lowndes returned to Australia and quickly re-asserted himself on the V8 Supercar scene – winning the championship in 1998 and 1999.
In 2001, Lowndes made the most controversial move of any Australian race driver, switching from Holden to Ford.
After a handful of seasons with limited success, highlighted by podi
um finishes at Bathurst in 2003 and 2004, Lowndes joined Triple Eight Race Engineering in 2005. A powerhouse internationally, Triple Eight was a perfect match for Lowndes and he finished second in the championship that year.
Lowndes narrowly missed out on the 2006 title, finishing second in a year which included his second Bathurst 1000 victory, and was third in 2007 after another Bathurst triumph.
2008 saw Lowndes enjoy another impressive campaign, finishing fourth in the championship and helping TeamVodafone to their inaugural team’s title. Lowndes and team-mate Jamie Whincup also won a historic, third-consecutive Bathurst 1000.
2009 was yet another strong year for Lowndes, while Team Vodafone continued to dominate the series.Two event wins at Winton and Barbagallo helped Lowndes to another fourth place in the championship.
In 2010 Lowndes and TeamVodafone will join Holden and all eyes will be on the team and Lowndes to see if they can be as dominant on the red side.