The radio messages that delivered a Bathurst fairytale
When it comes to Bathurst, few races can match the emotionally-charged events of 2006, with Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup taking a stunning victory,
However, one figure stood tallest when it mattered most to engineer the fairytale.
In the weeks after Peter Brock’s death, Lowndes and Whincup fought through tears and pressure to win the Great Race, but the impact of the late Campbell Little cannot be underestimated.
The Australian motorsport community gathered on the Gold Coast on Monday to farewell Little, who passed away late last month.
The life of Little, a highly respected engineer with decades of experience, was celebrated by family, friends and colleagues at the Southport Church of Christ.
News of Little's passing triggering a wide outpouring of tributes from drivers, teams, colleagues and former competitors, highlighting the impact the veteran engineer had on motorsport.
Lowndes said: “Campbell will be sorely missed. I first met him when I was very young. From the early Honda superbike days when he used to bring them into Dad’s workshop to get dynoed.
“To Triple Eight when he was my Engineer, winning Bathurst together in 2006 and on to the three peat.
“Incredible what he helped create both at Triple Eight and Supercars. But he was also a very dear friend that I was blessed to have in my corner.”
It was Little who acted as not only engineer for Lowndes on that historic day in 2006, but "chief psychologist” as coined by then Triple Eight boss Roland Dane.
In a tribute to Little, Dane wrote: "With Craig bearing the weight of the recent death of Peter Brock on his mind, Campbell became not only the race engineer for the #888 car that day, but also the chief psychologist.
"He coached Craig through the weekend and then the race. The outpouring of emotion as Craig took the flag to win was enormous.
"Campbell struggled to contain his own emotions as much as anyone else, as he congratulated Craig on the radio. It was such a huge moment for us all.”
It was over the radio where Little carried Lowndes and Whincup through nearly seven hours of a brutal Bathurst, which featured 10 Safety Car periods.
However, despite the drama, Little’s pointedness and empathy ensured the drivers never faltered, one radio message after the other, some carrying significant weight which proved crucial to the end result.
"Awesome, two more to go"
After a frantic start, Little communicated to Lowndes that he had completed 11 laps. Such was the rapport between the two, that Lowndes sarcastically, joked there were “two more to go."
"Are you watching TV again?"
Lowndes and Little were chirpy through the first stint as the race unfolded, with heavy favourites ruled out early. As commentators Neil Crompton and Leigh Diffey focused on the camera fitted underneath the #888 Falcon, Lowndes mused over the radio: “I hope that tyre’s hanging in there!” Lowndes had spotted his own car on the big screen at The Chase — all while flying at 300km/h, no less — prompting Little to jokingly reply: “Are you watching TV again?"
"Keep the pressure up on him"
The gags set the tone for a calm build-up to what would prove to be a manic race. Lowndes found himself boxed in behind Jason Richards, with Little nudging him along, saying: “Keep the pressure up on him.” At the end of the lap, Lowndes was past, and set about finding clean air.
"You know what to do"
At 23, Whincup was still in the early stages of his career, and was approaching contract negotiations with Triple Eight. Behind Todd Kelly for a restart, Whincup immediate pounced on the leader and made a move that ultimately paved the way to victory. Intent on keeping Whincup’s cool, Little told his young driver to keep it “nice and smooth” and reiterated, “You know what to do.” Whincup did his job, eventually handing over to Lowndes.
“No Safety Car, press on, two to go”
The Richards car would crash with three laps to go, as Lowndes battled to keep a racy Rick Kelly behind. The tension was clear, with a Safety Car seemingly set to seal the win for Triple Eight. Only, there was a twist; local yellows were waved where Richards’ stricken car lay, so Lowndes still had to race Kelly to the end. Little, clear as day, said: “No Safety Car, press on, two to go.”
“Last lap mate, last lap”
After that, there was only one more message Lowndes needed to hear as he set off after victory, with Little’s voice appearing to crackle as the Falcon motored up Mountain Straight.
“Fantastic job mate, un… f**k... believable”
Perhaps the most famous message of them all was Little marking Lowndes’s coronation, as tears welled up in the star driver’s eyes. Profanity and all, Little’s final message was befitting of the moment, as commentator Diffey recognised the engineer’s efforts, as he and Crompton had done all day.
