Lowndes to the back of the grid

After investigation, Craig Lowndes has been excluded from qualifying for Race Five.

It is has been deemed the team illegally covered a safety hole in the window of the #888 car, which not only has safety implications, but could offer a small aerodynamic advantage.

Now, how is the Championship leader going to make it work from the back of the field?

“Hopefully pass a lot of people!” Lowndes told v8supercars.com.au.

“It’s disappointing, the stewards made a ruling on what we’d done – all we’d done is put a bit of tape on the window and they reckon it was illegal.

“They have enforced the rules – that’s the way it goes – so we’ll just get on with it.

“Unfortunately when it rains it pours and we have to start from the back of the grid. It is a difficult track to pass at, we know that, that’s why we always say qualifying is imperative to be up the front.

“We managed to do that! But of course everything’s come about.

“We’ve got 42 laps now to start from the back, do the best we can and try and pick off the cars through the field.”

To add insult to injury, while leading today’s earlier race, contact from teammate Jamie Whincup nudged the #888 off the road, leaving him to rejoin outside of the top 10 and eventually climb to eighth.

Lowndes was adamant it was a racing incident, and there were no hard feelings toward his teammate – though boss Roland Dane was not happy.

“I made a mistake coming out of the hairpin and he got a run on us out of the straight. He pulled out – I didn’t know how far inside he was or here he was to be honest, I thought we gave him some room… probably not enough. Of course there was contact and we ended up in the grass.

"If it was anyone else bar Jamie, you’d say – and it was – a racing incident.

“It’s just the fact it was Jamie – when you’ve got two top drivers in the team together, eventually you’re going to have some kind of collision or contact. Roland’s not happy, the team’s not happy, the boys are despondent about it all because we had an opportunity to have a one-two, which is what we’re here for.

“I don’t know if I’ll get one or two in the next one – but I’ll try my best!” Lowndes laughed.

Symmons Plains meant an unlucky Saturday for Lowndes last year, who lost the Championship lead here last year after falling a lap down.