Craig Lowndes facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Craig Lowndes OAM
Lowndes in 2015
Nationality	Australian
Born	(1974-06-21) 21 June 1974 (age 51) Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Racing licence	FIA Platinum
Supercars record
Car number	888
Current team	Triple Eight Race Engineering (Endurance race co-driver)
Series championships	3 (1996, 1998, 1999)
Races	674
Race wins	110
Podium finishes	266
Pole positions	42
2020 position	NC (0 pts)

Craig Lowndes is a famous Australian racing car driver. He was born on June 21, 1974. He races in the Supercars Championship for Triple Eight Race Engineering. Craig is also a TV commentator.

He has won the V8 Supercar championship three times. He also won the Bathurst 1000 race seven times. This is one of Australia's biggest motor races. Craig also won the Bathurst 12 Hour race twice.

In 2018, Craig announced he would stop full-time driving. He still races as a co-driver in endurance events. He has won nine 500-kilometre V8 Supercar endurance titles. He is the first driver to win 100 races in ATCC/V8SC history. He also holds the record for the most Bathurst 1000 podium finishes with 14.

In 2012, Craig received the Medal of the Order of Australia. This award was for his success in motorsport. It was also for his work in road safety and charity. In 2018, he was named ABC Sports Personality of the Year. In 2019, he joined the Australian Motor Sport Hall of Fame. Craig even voices a character named Conrod in the kids' show Roary the Racing Car.

Craig's Early Racing Days

Craig Lowndes started racing when he was nine. He drove go-karts in Whittlesea.

Moving Up in Racing

In 1991, he started racing cars. He drove in the Motorcraft Formula Ford "Driver to Europe" Series. Even with an old car and little money, he did very well. In 1993, he won the Australian Formula Ford Championship. This allowed him to race in England. He finished third there. In 1994, he moved to Formula Brabham. He won the Australian Silver Star award.

Joining the Holden Racing Team

Craig joined the Holden Racing Team as a test driver. He was so good that he got to race in the 1994 Sandown 500. He teamed up with Brad Jones. It was supposed to be a one-time race. But he did so well that he got to race in the Bathurst 1000.

At Bathurst, he surprised everyone. He overtook John Bowe with only eleven laps left. He finished second, which was amazing for a new driver. Craig later said he just missed his brake spot!

He became a full-time driver for Holden in 1996. He won the championship that year. He also won the Sandown and Bathurst races with Greg Murphy. This was a rare achievement. He was the youngest winner of the Bathurst 1000 at the time. His team owner, Tom Walkinshaw, signed him to a long-term deal. Walkinshaw wanted to help him reach Formula One.

Craig Lowndes' HRT Commodore in 1996

Racing in Europe

In 1997, Craig went to Europe. He wanted to achieve his Formula One dream. He raced in the International Formula 3000 Championship. His teammate was Juan Pablo Montoya. Craig qualified well in his first race. But his season was not as good as Montoya's. He found it hard to adapt to the team's car setup. After one season, he returned to Australia.

Back in Australia

When Craig came back, he won the 1997 Sandown 500 again. In 1998, he raced full-time for Holden. He won his second championship. He also thought about racing in America. But he decided to stay in Australia.

In 1999, he won his third championship. He was leading by a lot of points. At one race, his car rolled over. He was lucky to only hurt his knee. He missed one race but still won the championship. In 2000, he finished third in the championship.

Switching to Ford

Craig then made a big change. He left Holden to join Ford. This surprised many fans. He raced for a new team called Gibson Motor Sport. This team later became 00 Motorsport. His black and silver Ford Falcon was called the "green-eyed monster." But the cars had many problems. He finished 7th and 11th in the championship. Despite this, fans loved his positive attitude.

Ford Performance Racing

In 2003, Craig joined Ford Performance Racing. He improved his results. He finished 5th in the championship. He also won his first race with Ford. But the cars still had reliability issues. In 2004, he had his worst year. He finished 20th in the championship. He then left the team.

Joining Triple Eight Race Engineering

In 2005, Craig joined Triple Eight Race Engineering. This was a great move for him. He won the most races and pole positions that year. He finished second in the championship. At the 2005 Bathurst 1000, his car was damaged. He still kept racing.

He won the Barry Sheene Medal that year. This award is like the Most Valuable Player award. It is voted on by media and former drivers.

Winning Streak (2006–2008)

Craig Lowndes in 2006

In 2006, Craig was very close to winning the championship. He won the Bathurst 1000 by half a second. This was his first Bathurst win since 1996. It was also Ford's first since 1998. This win was very emotional for Craig. It was the first Bathurst 1000 since his mentor, Peter Brock, died. Craig and his teammate, Jamie Whincup, won the first Peter Brock Trophy.

Craig finished second in the championship. He won the Barry Sheene Medal again. In 2007, he won three races. This included the Sandown 500 and the Bathurst 1000. He finished third in the championship. In 2008, Craig and Jamie Whincup won the Bathurst 1000 for the third time in a row. This was a very rare achievement.

The Ford Falcon BA car that Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup used to win the 2006 Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000.

Later Years (2009–2018)

Craig Lowndes' Ford Falcon at Queensland Raceway in 2009.

In 2009, Craig got a new Ford FG Falcon. He won races but finished 4th overall. He lost the lead in one race on the last lap due to a flat tyre. In 2010, his team switched to Holden Commodores. He finished 4th again. He won the Bathurst 1000 for the fifth time with Mark Skaife. He also won the Phillip Island 500.

Craig Lowndes placed 2nd in the 2011 V8 Supercars Championship.

In 2011, Craig had a great season. He finished second in the championship, just behind Jamie Whincup. He won three races at Queensland Raceway. He also won another Phillip Island 500. He finished second at Bathurst. He won the Sydney 500 and his third Barry Sheene Medal. In 2012, he finished second again. He won seven races, including his fifth Sandown 500 title.

Craig Lowndes racing at the 2012 Coates Hire Ipswich 300.

In 2013, Craig won the first race of the season. This was his 90th career win. He continued to do well, winning races in Perth and Darwin. He finished second in the championship for the third year in a row.

Craig Lowndes during pre-season testing in 2013.

Craig Lowndes at Sydney Motorsport Park in 2014.

In 2015, Craig became the first driver to reach 100 race wins. He finished second in the championship. He won his sixth Bathurst 1000 with Steven Richards. This made him equal with legends Mark Skaife and Larry Perkins. He also set a new record with 13 podium finishes at Bathurst. He won his fifth Barry Sheene Medal.

The Holden Commodore (VF) cars of Craig Lowndes (left) and Jamie Whincup (right) in 2015.

Craig Lowndes in his 600th championship race in 2016.

In 2016, Craig won races in Perth and Ipswich. He became the first driver to race in 600 championship races. In 2017, he had a tough year. He did not win any races or get on the podium. But he decided to keep racing in 2018.

In 2018, Craig won a race in Tasmania. This was his 106th career win. On July 5, he announced he would retire from full-time racing. But he would stay as an endurance driver. On October 7, 2018, he won his seventh Bathurst 1000. He won with co-driver Steven Richards. They also won the Pirtek Enduro Cup.

Off-road Racing

In 2010, Craig tried off-road racing. He competed in the Australasian Safari. He won the Rally Raid on his first try. He crashed out of the lead the next year.

Bathurst 12 Hour Races

Craig Lowndes at the 2014 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

Craig's first race at Bathurst was in 1994. He finished 14th overall and first in his class. Since 2011, he has often raced in the Bathurst 12 Hour. In 2011, he finished second. He finally won the race in 2014. He drove a Ferrari 458 GT3 with John Bowe, Peter Edwards, and Mika Salo.

The race-winning Ferrari 488 GT3 of Toni Vilander, Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup at the 2017 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour.

In 2017, Craig won the Bathurst 12 Hour again. He drove a Ferrari 488 GT3 with Jamie Whincup and Toni Vilander.

Craig's Racing Achievements

Career Summary

Bathurst 1000 Results

Year	Team	Car	Co-driver	Position	Laps
1994	Holden Racing Team	Holden Commodore VP	Brad Jones	2nd	161
1995	Holden Racing Team	Holden Commodore VR	Greg Murphy	DNF	10
1996	Holden Racing Team	Holden Commodore VR	Greg Murphy	1st	161
1997	Holden Racing Team	Holden Commodore VS	Greg Murphy	DNF	38
1998	Holden Racing Team	Holden Commodore VT	Mark Skaife	6th	159
1999	Holden Racing Team	Holden Commodore VT	Cameron McConville	2nd	161
2000	Holden Racing Team	Holden Commodore VT	Mark Skaife	6th	161
2001	Gibson Motorsport	Ford Falcon AU	Neil Crompton	17th	156
2002	00 Motorsport	Ford Falcon AU	Neil Crompton	DNF	127
2003	Ford Performance Racing	Ford Falcon BA	Glenn Seton	2nd	161
2004	Ford Performance Racing	Ford Falcon BA	Glenn Seton	2nd	161
2005	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Ford Falcon BA	Yvan Muller	15th	151
2006	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Ford Falcon BA	Jamie Whincup	1st	161
2007	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Ford Falcon BF	Jamie Whincup	1st	161
2008	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Ford Falcon BF	Jamie Whincup	1st	161
2009	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Ford Falcon FG	Jamie Whincup	5th	161
2010	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden Commodore VE	Mark Skaife	1st	161
2011	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden Commodore VE	Mark Skaife	2nd	161
2012	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden Commodore VE	Warren Luff	3rd	161
2013	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden Commodore VF	Warren Luff	3rd	161
2014	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden Commodore VF	Steven Richards	10th	161
2015	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden Commodore VF	Steven Richards	1st	161
2016	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden Commodore VF	Steven Richards	16th	156
2017	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden Commodore VF	Steven Richards	11th	160
2018	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden Commodore ZB	Steven Richards	1st	161
2019	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden Commodore ZB	Jamie Whincup	4th	161
2020	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden Commodore ZB	Jamie Whincup	DNF	32
2021	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden Commodore ZB	Jamie Whincup	4th	161
2022	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Holden Commodore ZB	Declan Fraser	8th	161
2023	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Chevrolet Camaro Mk.6	Zane Goddard	24th	141
2024	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Chevrolet Camaro Mk.6	Cooper Murray	14th	161
2025	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Chevrolet Camaro Mk.6	Zach Bates

Bathurst 12 Hour Results

Year	Team	Co-drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Overall position	Class position
1994	John Morriss	John Morriss Phil Morriss	Nissan Pulsar SSS	B	236	14th	1st
2011	Joest Racing Audi Australia	Mark Eddy Warren Luff	Audi R8 LMS GT3	A	292	2nd	2nd
2012	Phoenix Racing	Mark Eddy Warren Luff	Audi R8 LMS GT3	A	156	DNF	DNF
2013	Rod Salmon	Warren Luff Rod Salmon	Audi R8 LMS GT3	A	162	DNF	DNF
2014	Maranello Motorsport	John Bowe Peter Edwards Mika Salo	Ferrari 458 GT3	A	296	1st	1st
2017	Maranello Motorsport	Toni Vilander Jamie Whincup	Ferrari 488 GT3	AP	290	1st	1st
2018	YNA Autosport	Côme Ledogar Shane van Gisbergen	McLaren 650S GT3	APP	119	DNF	DNF
2019	Triple Eight Race Engineering	Jamie Whincup Shane van Gisbergen	Mercedes-AMG GT3	APP	312	4th	4th
2020	Earl Bamber Motorsport	Earl Bamber Laurens Vanthoor	Porsche 911 GT3 R	Pro	312	9th	8th
2022	Scott Taylor Motorsport	Geoff Emery Alex Davison Scott Taylor	Porsche 911 GT3 R	C	276	9th	1st
2023	Scott Taylor Motorsport	Geoff Emery Alex Davison Scott Taylor	Mercedes-AMG GT3	PA	177	DNF	DNF
2024	Scott Taylor Motorsport	Thomas Randle Cam Waters	Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo	Pro	275	7th	7th

Personal Life

Craig Lowndes is married to Lara. They got married in 2015. They live in Brisbane, Queensland. He has two children. Craig supports the Essendon Bombers football team.

See also

In Spanish: Craig Lowndes para niños

Images for kids

• 

  Lowndes in 2015