Craig's Corner: Why I'm a fan of drivers having a crack

This is the third 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 Snowy River Caravans Tasmania Super 440.

I’m a big fan of the on-track product this year. Where we currently are at the moment, I really like the style of racing.

To be honest, drivers should always look to balance the ledger; if they get run wide at one corner, there's always gonna be somewhat a return of serve.

If we can continue the way we are, I think it's great. There's no doubt that the racing now is tougher. It's harder, it’s somewhat old school, you've really gotta fight for your position.

Drivers should accept that if you’re gonna give it, you're gonna get it back. So, we’re seeing some drivers stand up, trying to outsmart the other driver and get into a position where you can have a crack without being afraid of getting a penalty.

Importantly, the fans are enjoying it. We want to see drivers even up the ledger if they’ve been roughed up, and it’s producing some awesome racing.

So, Symmons Plains — what a track! I really enjoyed this track for a couple of reasons. It one of two that we lap under a minute, being here and the next round in Perth.

It’s so intense because it’s such an important lap to get right in qualifying. You only have 2.4 kilometres and seven corners to play with, and if you make a little mistake in any one of those corners, you can go from the front row to the back row very quickly.

The slip streaming effect down the back straight is also very effective. If you've got a car that’s really strong in a straight line — and I know a lot of teams did it in the past — you should really try and balance downforce with high speed.

I like the new Super 440 format, and I like the way it is. I think it’s very entertaining. Having the two races on the Saturday really mixes it up. When you listen to the fans, they always love seeing the cars launch off the line, seeing wild first laps, and plenty of racing.

Tassie is the perfect place for that — it's a very short run to Turns 2 and 4, and the infamous Turn 4 hairpin is always a hotspot for drama. In the opening laps, you see cars trying to use the high line and the low line. There's always a bit of carnage down there!

If you do qualify down the back, especially for the Sunday's race, strategy will play a big part in your final result. I say it often — I love strategy races. Sunday’s race will be the longest race in Tasmania since 2019. If you have a poor qualifying, you'll definitely go for an alternative strategy, which will be to try and get as much clean air running as you can.

You can expect there to be a little bit of drama in qualifying. We’ve seen it before, when championship contenders stumble.

When it comes to qualifying in Tasmania, you've gotta be smart. Traffic is going to be bad. You will hear some sad stories of drivers complaining about traffic on hot laps, so trying to find a clear lap for qualifying is going to be paramount.

Last year, some teams tried to push out their drivers early to try and get some clear track. But because it's such a short lap, you inevitably come across an another car. My advice? You've gotta go with the wave.

Slipstreaming in qualifying can be of a huge benefit if you can make it work. You try to orchestrate it with teammates, but from experience, I know that it doesn't go to plan all the time. Getting it right could be worth a tenth of a second.

Looking to the championship, I like the trend Brodie Kostecki is on. He did a really good job over in New Zealand, and I think he's finding his way now with the Shell V-Power Racing Team. You can sense he has good rapport in there, and they have momentum.

I was also really impressed by Matt Payne. His aggression in Taupō, especially that move on Cameron Hill, proves he's maturing. He’s always been fast, but he is becoming a full package.

Ryan Wood is also stepping up to the mark, and I’d really like to see him do well down in Tassie.

I have no doubt it’s going to be a tough weekend. It's so close in qualifying, and the racing's going to be intense. We've always seen great battles over the years, not just between rivals, but between teammates. Look no further than last year, when Thomas Randle took on both Will Brown and Broc Feeney.

What we have seen so far this year is that no one's really stood up and been consistent. It's been unpredictable going into rounds, and I think that's a great sign for this year’s championship!