Team 18 reunites Lowndes with championship number
Team 18 reunites Craig Lowndes with championship number
Lowndes to mark next chapter of Supercars career with #15
Lowndes won 1996, 1998 championships with the #15
Craig Lowndes will mark the next chapter of his Supercars career with a familiar number.
The seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner will drive the #15 for Team 18 in 2026, 30 years after he raced the number to his first championship.
Lowndes, who handed the #888 over to Will Brown, will drive Team 18’s Supercheap Auto wildcard in the enduros after ending a 20-year relationship with Triple Eight Race Engineering.
The #15 was the first full-time number for Lowndes, who duly raced it to championship victory in 1996. He returned in 1998 after a year in Europe and again took the #15 to championship glory.
In later years, the #15 became synonymous with Rick Kelly, who raced the number to the 2006 championship.
Three decades on, Lowndes and the #15 will reunite, something not lost on the Supercars Hall of Famer.
“I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve spent almost two decades racing with 888, so to sit down with Charlie [Schwerkolt, Team 18 owner] and talk about what comes next was exciting,” Lowndes said.
“The number 15 was the first one that came to mind because it’s where my Supercars career began back in 1996. To have the chance to return to it now, 30 years on, and to be able to do that with Team 18 is really special.
“I think fans are going to love it, because it brings back a lot of memories, not just for me, but for everyone who remembers those early years. To go full circle and come back to 15 after three decades is something I’m incredibly proud of.”
Schwerkolt added: “Craig Lowndes is one of the true legends of our sport, and the number 15 is where it all began for him.
"People still remember the impact he had with that number, winning races, winning championships and announcing himself as something special from day one.
“To be able to bring that number back for Craig, 30 years on from his debut, and celebrate an incredible career in this way is something we’re extremely proud of at Team 18.
"It’s a chance to celebrate an extraordinary career, the history of the sport, and what Craig has meant to generations of Supercars fans.”
Lowndes' co-driver will be announced on February 17, with further details around the program to be released in due course.
