Seven-Time Bathurst Winner · Supercars

Craig Lowndes

Craig Lowndes won the Australian Touring Car Championship at his first attempt in 1996 and has won the Bathurst 1000 seven times, in both Holdens and Fords. Thirty-two years after his debut at Mount Panorama he is still on the grid as an endurance co-driver.

Born
21 June 1974 · Melbourne, Victoria
Titles
3 · 1996, 1998, 1999
Bathurst 1000
7 wins · 1996 to 2018
Bathurst 12 Hour
2 wins · 2014, 2017
Teams
Holden Racing Team · Triple Eight · Team 18
Barry Sheene Medal
5 times · a record
Shop the Collection Watch highlights
Seven-Time Bathurst Winner
3 titles · 33 straight starts
3
Supercars Titles
7
Bathurst 1000 Wins
2
Bathurst 12 Hour Wins
5
Barry Sheene Medals

Who Is Craig Lowndes?

Craig Lowndes, born 21 June 1974 in Melbourne, is an Australian racing driver who won three Australian Touring Car / Supercars championships, in 1996, 1998 and 1999, and the Bathurst 1000 seven times between 1996 and 2018. He stopped driving full-time after 2018 and continues as an endurance co-driver.

Titles
3 · 1996, 1998, 1999
Bathurst 1000
7 wins · four Holdens, three Fords
Bathurst 12 Hour
2 wins · 2014, 2017
Now
Endurance co-driver, Team 18

By KozmozInspire Editorial Published Updated 9 sources

Rider Profile

Who Is Craig Lowndes?

Craig Andrew Lowndes OAM is an Australian touring car driver who won three national championships and the Bathurst 1000 seven times. He was born in Melbourne on 21 June 1974, started racing karts at nine, and won the Australian Formula Ford Championship in 1993. The Holden Racing Team brought him in as a test driver the following year.

He finished second at Bathurst on debut. Drafted into the team for Sandown and then the 1994 Bathurst 1000, the twenty-year-old took second alongside Brad Jones after a late battle with John Bowe. Two years later, in his first full season, he won the championship, Sandown and Bathurst in the same year, aged 21.

A second title followed in 1998 and a third in 1999, either side of a European season in International Formula 3000 alongside Juan Pablo Montoya. He moved to Ford in 2001, then to Triple Eight Race Engineering in 2005, where he stayed for twenty years and won four more Bathurst 1000s — three of them consecutively with Jamie Whincup.

His seventh Bathurst win came in 2018, the year he stopped driving full-time. He has started every Bathurst 1000 since as a co-driver, mentoring a succession of young drivers, and in 2026 moved to Team 18 to share the number 15 with Bayley Hall. The Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame inducted him in 2019.

The Career

Three Chapters That Defined Craig Lowndes

Chapter 01

The Rookie Champion

Lowndes arrived at the Holden Racing Team in 1994 as a test driver and left the 1994 Bathurst 1000 with second place on debut. Through 1995 he sat behind Peter Brock and Tomas Mezera, taking pole at both Sandown and Bathurst without a full-time seat. He replaced Mezera for 1996 and won the championship at the first attempt by 79 points from John Bowe, adding the Sandown 500 and the Bathurst 1000 in the same season. He was 21. Two more titles followed in 1998 and 1999.

The red and white Mobil 1 Holden Racing Team VT Commodore, carrying number 1 and the names Lowndes and Skaife on the driver's window, on display under lights at the 2025 Adelaide Grand Final. The Mobil Holden Racing Team Commodore Lowndes drove at the end of the 1990s Photo: The Holden Racing Team VT Commodore (1999) by Yu Chu Chin / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (resized) · licence
Chapter 02

Three In A Row

Lowndes joined Triple Eight Race Engineering in 2005 and finished the season second to Russell Ingall. In October 2006, five weeks after Peter Brock's death, he and Jamie Whincup won the Bathurst 1000 — the first running of the race for the Peter Brock Trophy, and the first Bathurst win for both the team and Whincup. They won it again in 2007 and again in 2008. Brock had been Lowndes's mentor and his childhood hero; the Hall of Fame citation says it was Brock who taught him Mount Panorama.

Close-up of Craig Lowndes in 2006, looking down and away from the camera with a slight smile, wearing a dark navy team fleece. Craig Lowndes in 2006, the year of his second Bathurst win Photo: Craig Lowndes at Albert Park (2006) by Glenn Thomas / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.5 (resized) · licence
Chapter 03

Seventh And Last

The later years were not straightforward: 2017 brought his first season without a win or a podium and a career-worst tenth in the championship. He announced on 6 July 2018 that he would stop driving full-time at the end of that year, and on 7 October he won the Bathurst 1000 for the seventh time with Steven Richards, equalling the total of Richards's father Jim. He has started every Bathurst 1000 since as a co-driver, partnering a young driver each year, and in 2026 joined Team 18 alongside Bayley Hall for his 33rd consecutive start.

Craig Lowndes's number 888 TeamVortex Holden VF Commodore leading the number 88 Red Bull Caltex Commodore through a corner at Sydney Motorsport Park in 2016. The number 888 TeamVortex Commodore at Sydney Motorsport Park, 2016 Photo: TeamVortex Holden VF Commodore, Sydney (2016) by SchueyFan / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped and resized) · licence
Career Timeline

Career Timeline

Formula Ford champion

Wins the Australian Formula Ford Championship and takes third at the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch.

Second at Bathurst on debut

Drafted into the Holden Racing Team for Sandown and Bathurst, and finishes second with Brad Jones.

Champion at the first attempt

Wins the Australian Touring Car Championship, the Sandown 500 and the Bathurst 1000 in one season.

A season in Europe

Contests International Formula 3000 with RSM Marko alongside Juan Pablo Montoya.

Second title

Returns to the Holden Racing Team and wins the championship again.

Third title

Takes a third championship and wins the inaugural Adelaide 500.

Switches to Ford

Leaves the Holden Racing Team for Gibson Motorsport and four seasons in Falcons.

Joins Triple Eight

Finishes second in the championship and wins the first of five Barry Sheene Medals.

Bathurst and the Brock Trophy

Wins the Bathurst 1000 with Jamie Whincup, weeks after Peter Brock's death.

Fifth Bathurst

Wins the Great Race with Mark Skaife in a Commodore VE.

Medal of the Order of Australia

Recognised for service to motorsport and to the community.

Seventh Bathurst, last full season

Steps down from full-time driving and wins the Bathurst 1000 with Steven Richards.

Team 18

Moves to Team 18 after twenty years at Triple Eight, sharing the number 15 with Bayley Hall.

By the Numbers

Bathurst 1000 Record

Craig Lowndes season-by-season record: team, co-driver, car, laps, win no. and final standing.
SeasonTeam Co-Driver Car Laps Win No. Pos.
1994 Holden Racing Team Brad Jones Holden Commodore VP 161 – 2
1995 Holden Racing Team Greg Murphy Holden Commodore VR 10 – DNF
1996 Holden Racing Team Greg Murphy Holden Commodore VR 161 1 1
1997 Holden Racing Team Greg Murphy Holden Commodore VS 38 – DNF
1998 Holden Racing Team Mark Skaife Holden Commodore VT 159 – 6
1999 Holden Racing Team Cameron McConville Holden Commodore VT 161 – 2
2000 Holden Racing Team Mark Skaife Holden Commodore VT 161 – 6
2001 Gibson Motorsport Neil Crompton Ford Falcon AU 156 – 17
2002 00 Motorsport Neil Crompton Ford Falcon AU 127 – DNF
2003 Ford Performance Racing Glenn Seton Ford Falcon BA 161 – 2
2004 Ford Performance Racing Glenn Seton Ford Falcon BA 161 – 2
2005 Triple Eight Yvan Muller Ford Falcon BA 151 – 15
2006 Triple Eight Jamie Whincup Ford Falcon BA 161 2 1
2007 Triple Eight Jamie Whincup Ford Falcon BF 161 3 1
2008 Triple Eight Jamie Whincup Ford Falcon BF 161 4 1
2009 Triple Eight Jamie Whincup Ford Falcon FG 161 – 5
2010 Triple Eight Mark Skaife Holden Commodore VE 161 5 1
2011 Triple Eight Mark Skaife Holden Commodore VE 161 – 2
2012 Triple Eight Warren Luff Holden Commodore VE 161 – 3
2013 Triple Eight Warren Luff Holden Commodore VF 161 – 3
2014 Triple Eight Steven Richards Holden Commodore VF 161 – 10
2015 Triple Eight Steven Richards Holden Commodore VF 161 6 1
2016 Triple Eight Steven Richards Holden Commodore VF 156 – 16
2017 Triple Eight Steven Richards Holden Commodore VF 160 – 11
2018 Triple Eight Steven Richards Holden Commodore ZB 161 7 1
2019 Triple Eight Jamie Whincup Holden Commodore ZB 161 – 4
2020 Triple Eight Jamie Whincup Holden Commodore ZB 32 – DNF
2021 Triple Eight Jamie Whincup Holden Commodore ZB 161 – 4
2022 Triple Eight Declan Fraser Holden Commodore ZB 161 – 8
2023 Triple Eight Zane Goddard Chevrolet Camaro 141 – 24
2024 Triple Eight Cooper Murray Chevrolet Camaro 161 – 14
2025 Triple Eight Zach Bates Chevrolet Camaro 161 – 10

Every Bathurst 1000 start Lowndes has made from his debut in 1994 to 2025, with the seven wins highlighted. Four came in Holden Commodores and three in Ford Falcons, a split the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame singles out in its citation. The table also holds the record for Bathurst 1000 podium finishes: seven wins, five seconds and two thirds, fourteen in all. Career championship figures are not quoted here: en.wikipedia's infobox gives 674 starts, 110 race wins, 266 podiums and 42 poles, and no second source corroborates them — the Hall of Fame records only that he was the first driver past 100 championship race wins. He starts a 33rd consecutive Bathurst 1000 in 2026 for Team 18 with Bayley Hall, so the table is not closed. Figures verified 2026-09-11.

Frequently Asked

Craig Lowndes: Frequently Asked Questions

How many times has Craig Lowndes won Bathurst?

Seven: 1996, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2015 and 2018. Only Peter Brock, with nine, has won the Bathurst 1000 more often.

How many championships has Craig Lowndes won?

Three — the Australian Touring Car Championship in 1996 and 1998, and the Shell Championship Series in 1999. He won the first in his first full season, aged 21.

What is the connection between Craig Lowndes and Peter Brock?

Brock was his childhood hero and later his team-mate and mentor at the Holden Racing Team. Lowndes won the 2006 Bathurst 1000 five weeks after Brock's death, the first running of the race for the Peter Brock Trophy.

Is Craig Lowndes still racing?

Yes, as an endurance co-driver. He stopped driving full-time after 2018 but has started every Bathurst 1000 since, and in 2026 shares the number 15 Team 18 entry with Bayley Hall.

Has Craig Lowndes won the Bathurst 12 Hour?

Twice, both in Ferraris for Maranello Motorsport: in 2014 with John Bowe, Peter Edwards and Mika Salo, and in 2017 with Toni Vilander and Jamie Whincup.

What is the Barry Sheene Medal?

The award voted for by the motorsport media for the driver judged best across the season. Lowndes won it five times, in 2005, 2006, 2011, 2013 and 2015, more than anyone else.

Who has Craig Lowndes driven with at Bathurst?

Greg Murphy for his first win, Jamie Whincup for the three consecutive wins from 2006, Mark Skaife in 2010 and Steven Richards in 2015 and 2018. Since 2022 he has partnered a different young driver each year.

When was Craig Lowndes inducted into the Hall of Fame?

On 16 March 2019, into the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame. He received the Medal of the Order of Australia in 2012.

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References

Sources & Further Reading

Every statistic on this page is drawn from the following records.

  1. Craig Lowndes · Wikipedia
  2. Craig Lowndes, OAM — inductee · Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame
  3. Craig Lowndes: bio · Supercars
  4. Barry Sheene Medal · Wikipedia
  5. 1996 Australian Touring Car Championship · Wikipedia
  6. 2018 Bathurst 1000 · Wikipedia
  7. 2014 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour · Wikipedia
  8. 2017 Liqui Moly Bathurst 12 Hour · Wikipedia
  9. Craig Lowndes (Q3002043) · Wikidata

How this page is made

Rider profiles are compiled from official series records and cross-checked against independent statistical databases before publication.

Commercial disclosure. This page links to merchandise sold by KozmozInspire. Products are fan-made tributes inspired by motorsport history and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or licensed from the rider, their estate, or any team.

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