Craig Lowndes on "learning curve" at The Bend with Team 18
Lowndes to make first non-Triple Eight start at Bathurst since 2004
Seven-time Bathurst winner paired with rookie Bayley Hall
Even after all these years, nearly 700 Supercars and more than 30 Bathurst appearances, Craig Lowndes was on a learning curve in his first race back in 2026.
Lowndes returns to the Mountain, this time with Team 18 and rookie Bayley Hall, following a storied two-decade run with Triple Eight that produced six of his seven Bathurst wins.
The 2026 race marks 30 years since Lowndes won with Greg Murphy and the Holden Racing Team. He had to wait 10 years to win again, but added five more in the next decade.
The way the race unfolded at The Bend, Lowndes — now 52 — got plenty of valuable track time, which will prove even more valuable come the weekend as he sinks his teeth into Bathurst appearance No. 33, which takes him past Peter Brock.
“This is always the most exciting part of the season for me,” Lowndes said.
"I’ve always loved Bathurst, hence why I keep coming back! This is an event that I truly love and I’m really excited to come back for it.
“We had a good run at The Bend; Bayley’s learned a lot in the last couple of meetings so we’ll hit the ground running, and the team’s done a great job in turning the cars around so I’m ready to cut some laps.
“I have no doubt Bathurst will throw everything it can at us again, like it did last year with the rain and the fog. But we’ll be prepared for it, and it was a great race from a fan perspective because of that.
“It was a great learning curve for me at The Bend, running the 80 or so laps I did in the wet; it just helped to get back behind the wheel again, because Bathurst is such a different beast.”
Lowndes will also play a crucial role in taking the pressure off Hall, who is one of eight drivers completing double duty at Bathurst. Hall is one of six Super2 drivers in this weekend's Great Race field.
“This weekend will be my first time doing double duty on a Supercars weekend in Super2 and main game,” Hall said.
"Logistically, I know it’ll be a handful running between the two garages and driving two very mechanically different cars, but it’ll be a challenge that I look forward to.
“Craig knows Bathurst better than anyone else, and I'm excited to lean into that experience and make the most of the laps I'll get."
Track action at Mount Panorama commences on Thursday.
