Triple Eight reveals 2023 enduro wildcard livery
Triple Eight Race Engineering has revealed the wildcard look that Craig Lowndes and Zane Goddard will carry in the 2023 Supercars enduros.
Triple Eight is running a wildcard for the third consecutive season, and for the first time, at two endurance rounds. Lowndes and Goddard will steer the #888 Supercheap Auto Camaro at the Penrite Oil Sandown 500 and Repco Bathurst 1000.
The championship- and Bathurst-winning team revealed the #888 Chevrolet livery two weeks out from the Sandown 500, which Lowndes has won six times.
The car will also feature support from Chevrolet Racing, ACDelco, Century Batteries, Bendix, Bosch, Sony, Sperling, TurtleWax, ToolPRO-X, Australian Road Safety Foundation, Beyond Blue and Heart Kids.
Lowndes will make his 30th Bathurst start in the car, and 19th with Triple Eight. The Supercars Hall of Famer claimed six of his seven Bathurst wins with the Banyo-based team. Saturday's reveal comes just days after Lowndes inked a contract extension with Triple Eight, with the three-time series champion to become an unprecedented 20-year driver with the team.
Goddard, meanwhile, will add enduro starts in the #888 alongside his solo appearance at the betr Darwin Triple Crown in June.
Lowndes and Goddard will be engineered by Wes McDougal, with Triple Eight co-owner Jessica Dane the Team Manager for both events. The new livery will roll out when Lowndes and Goddard test at Queensland Raceway on Monday and Tuesday.
“Having the Sandown 500 as a warm-up event for the Bathurst 1000 is pretty normal for me,” Lowndes said.
"It’s really important for both Zane and I and the team to gel together and get through any of the niggling problems we want to get through before we get to Bathurst because that's the race we want to win.
“Our upcoming test days are really important. I think the test days are invaluable and is a great chance to practice the fundamentals, especially driver changes and pit stop practices. We know that we're going to be on our own at Sandown, but when we get to Bathurst, we're going to have to share a boom, so getting all those fundamentals right is important for a great result.
“It’s been great mentoring Zane this year. I've known Zane for a little while now. He's a bright, young talent and we're looking forward to beating last year’s result. It makes me feel old knowing this year’s Bathurst will be my 30th start at the Great Race, but look, it's really special.
"I think Bathurst has always been a race that I've always wanted to win, even from a young age. It really is a team effort, and for me, it's important to make sure that we put a good foot forward in getting a good result.”
Goddard added: “I think the car looks fantastic. The darker details have really made the car look very tough, and I’m keen to see what it looks like out on track.
“Having the Sandown 500 as our next event is a great shakedown before the Great Race. Hopefully Craig and I can get into a good rhythm, get a good result there and then go to Bathurst with some wind in our sail.
“Sandown is a pretty tight racetrack with some big braking zones, so hopefully the racing will be good. Obviously it's quite a long race, so we'll just run our own thing until the later stages, but I’m looking forward to that feature of the race.
“Craig has been fantastic for my development, and I’m learning a lot from him. He's a great guy to work with. He's full of energy, full of fun, and I'm looking forward to going racing with him. That's the important bit now and hopefully we go well.”
The Penrite Oil Sandown 500 will be held on September 15-17, ahead of the Repco Bathurst 1000 on October 5-8.
