Craig's Corner: The big changes that open up the enduros

This is the ninth 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 AirTouch 500 at The Bend, where he will race alongside Zach Bates in a Triple Eight wildcard.

I just love this time of year.

I love that the enduros are about team effort — the two drivers work closely together, and strategy plays a big role. You’ve got to think about tyres, fuel consumption, looking after the car, making sure that you hit your pit windows.

I'm really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel alongside Zach. I’m really, really confident that we can have a great showing throughout this Enduro Cup.

On debut at Queensland Raceway, he got a great feel for what the competition's all about, and he showed everyone that he's mentally strong.

I give him a lot of credit because to be able to do double duties at Queensland Raceway with Super2. He was mentally able to switch on and off between the two cars and who he was racing, which was fantastic.

To rub shoulders with people that you look up to is a challenge. I remember him making a comment that he was starting alongside Brodie Kostecki, and he was excited yet nervous. To have that initiation at Queensland Raceway, as tough as it was, definitely puts him in a good head space for Bathurst.

The Bend is a tough, tough track. It’s a longer lap than Sandown, and there’s a lot going on.

In the race, co-drivers have got to do a minimum of 38 laps. It doesn't sound a lot, but 38 laps around there will be full-on. It's going to put strain on the body, but given how good the tyres have been this year, we’re expecting low degradation.

The consistency of the cars are going to be quite good, meaning it will come down to how the co-drivers stack up on pace with the main guys.

There are a lot of guys under pressure to keep their guys in The Finals, and because of that, I expect there will be fireworks. We've closed the first chapter of the championship, and it’s now or never to get into The Finals.

Everyone wants to book their ticket into The Finals, and the guys on the bubble have so much to lose. How co-drivers attack the race will be critical to whether you make it, or you miss out.

We’ve all got one eye on Bathurst, but this weekend is so important. Everyone wants to have a crack at Bathurst, and if you go well this weekend, you could almost give yourself a bit swing at the Mountain.

Getting into the granular stuff, the most interesting thing is how they’ve changed the combination weight of the two drivers. Last year, there were some benefits to having a lightweight co-driver. This year, that won’t be as prominent.

The biggest change is opening up who can start the race. I absolutely welcome that move. I’m a big, big fan of teams having more opportunities to employ different strategies and tactics.

For what it's worth, co-drivers these days are highly-credentialed, and are able and willing to be able to start these race cars and these races. On the whole, it's a great decision by Supercars to return to the old rules.

So, with co-drivers starting the race, what can we expect at The Bend? Races could be won and lost in those first 30 laps, but if you do start with your co-drivers, you're going to commit to do a stint and a half. Why? Because you can’t do 38 laps on a single tank of fuel. It's going to be interesting to see how teams approach it.

Traditionally, co-drivers have knocked over their minimum laps, before the main guys jump in and finish the job. We’ll just have to wait and see!

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 AirTouch 500 at The Bend. Tickets are on sale now. International viewers can watch the action on SuperView.