Craig's Corner: Farewelling Triple Eight, and my tribute to Bathurst fans

This is the 10th exclusive Supercars.com column by Supercars Hall of Famer Craig Lowndes for the 2025 season. Seven-time Bathurst winner Lowndes will preview each round of the 2025 Repco Supercars Championship from his own perspective, continuing with this weekend’s Repco Bathurst 1000, where he will race alongside Zach Bates in a Triple Eight wildcard.

Heading to Bathurst, I’m often always reminded of what this race meant to me as a kid, to now being lucky enough to make my 32nd start.

It’s a great spectacle when you come over the rise and you see 'Mount Panorama' on the mountain. The closer you get, it gives you goosebumps. For me, all the memories from my debut in 1994 come flooding back.

Speaking of 32 — that’s a big number, but a special one too, as Peter Brock also made 32 starts. To equal Peter is special, as I look to his legacy fondly. Jim Richards has the most starts with 35, and that wasn't a number that I was thinking of. But now, I’m obviously aware of it and getting closer to achieving it, which would be even more significant.

Let’s be honest — if you don't have butterflies in your stomach at the start line, there's something wrong with you! It doesn't matter how many starts you make there, it's always the same. The same nerves, the same excitement. I love it.

The excitement and the nerves go hand in hand. From leaving the observation lap, to stopping at the top to greet the fans, the build-up to race start is awesome. But then, you’re into it. It’s the tallest gear ratio with the heaviest fuel low, so getting off the line is incredibly difficult. From there, it’s a huge day.

The journey to the race starts on Monday. I've driven to Bathurst for years. It's been a tradition of mine for a long time. A lot of drivers now use it as preparation, and to get off the grid in some regards, knowing that once you get to Bathurst, it gets very hectic.

We don’t get in the race car until Thursday, but the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are pretty flat out. However, I actually don't mind that side of it. For me, I love the build-up and of the week of Bathurst.

I've always drawn energy off the crowds. It really shows the magnitude of what the event means, not only for the drivers and teams, but for the fans.

Bathurst itself quadruples in population, the campsites are always full.

The fans make this event, even if it makes the track walk longer than planned — it generally takes over two hours to walk the track!

It’s wonderful to see two, three generations, maybe even four generations of families that have been to the same campsite each year.

They're sitting on the sidelines, putting away beers, dressing up in weird costumes, racing around on motorised Eskies, just enjoying the day. That’s the character of Bathurst — nothing beats it.

To the fans, I want to say thank you. I’ve had an amazing career in a sport that I've loved the most. I’ve said it all along — fans are the backbone of motor racing. There are a lot of people out there that I’ve come to know over the years.

It’s a privilege to do what I’m able to do, and to give enjoyment to fans is something I hold dear.

It’s the also end of the road for my time at Triple Eight. I look back to when I first signed — when Roland Dane brought Triple Eight to Supercars, they had mechanical issues in the early years. When I came along, they were well and truly in their infancy.

To think of it now being the most successful team in the sport, and to have played a part in that, is special. Bathurst means so much to that team, and Roland. He was so intensely passionate.

Bathurst was the one race he wanted to win. When we got our first win together in Sydney, we wanted to get after the big one. To see so many emotions come out from everyone in 2006 is something I won’t forget.

It’s funny, I look to the aftermath of ’06, and returning a year later. There was some cockiness, given we were the defending champs. At that time, Supercars announced they were going to hand out little trophies to the winners.

I looked at Jamie Whincup and I remember saying that, ‘so we missed out in those last year, so we’d better win this one to get one of those little trophies’. So, we won — and then did it again in ’08!

We’re ready for the challenge. It’s going to be more emotional for my co-driver Zach Bates than anyone I’ve been with, and we’re determined to make this one count.

The wildcard programme for me has been very enjoyable. I’ve enjoyed being able to guide the next generation through, and share what Peter taught me all those years ago when I was their age,

I can’t wait to guide Zach through the week. I know he will do himself and his family proud.

Craig Lowndes is one of the most decorated drivers in Australian motorsport history, winning three drivers' championships, 110 Supercars races and seven Bathurst 1000s. A Supercars Hall of Famer, Lowndes will contest the enduros at The Bend and Bathurst this year.

The 2025 Supercars season resumes at the Repco Bathurst 1000. Tickets are on sale now. International viewers can watch the action on SuperView.