MOTORSPORT: Lowndes confirmed as Bathurst wildcard
Aussie Supercars legend to shoot for his eighth Bathurst 1000 trophy
Craig Lowndes will seek his eighth Bathurst 1000 crown this October with rookie Declan Fraser in a Supercheap Auto-backed Holden Commodore entered by Triple Eight Race Engineering.
The announcement of Lowndes’ wildcard entry was made alongside confirmation of the regular Red Bull Ampol Racing line-up, with Garth Tander set to partner championship leader Shane van Gisbergen for the fourth time, and Jamie Whincup to return to the driver’s seat alongside his replacement, young gun Broc Feeney.
“I’m thrilled to be teaming up with Declan for the Great Race, and I’m so excited to guide him on his journey into Supercars,” said Lowndes.
“It’s no secret the affinity I have with Bathurst and Mount Panorama; it’s the racetrack that means more to me than any other place.
“I also think we’re going to be a competitive pairing. Declan has shown some great speed and composure in his Super2 career – two traits you need to win Bathurst.”
For Fraser, whose regular drive is with Triple Eight’s Super2 outfit, the announcement caps a meteoric rise to the main game, after registering three podiums and a pole position from his 10 development series starts to date.
“I grew up watching Lowndesy at Bathurst like every other kid did, so to see my name on the side of this car alongside his heading to Bathurst is super special, surreal even,” said Fraser.
“My aim is to hone my skills over the next few months to make sure I’m fully prepared by the time I get to Bathurst.
“We get a couple of extra test days being a wildcard entry which will be good for myself to get familiar with the ZB Commodore, but at the moment there’s still a few Super2 rounds that I need to focus on.”
Other wildcard entries announced to date include a Boost Mobile-backed, Erebus Motorsport-run Commodore for Bathurst legend Greg Murphy and fellow Kiwi Richie Stanaway.
After initially being slated for the 2021 event, closed international borders forced the effort to be deferred to this year’s race.
The other nomination is an ex-DJR Ford Mustang for local Bathurst team Anderson Motorsport.
The only announced driver for the entry, which is set to receive minor technical support from the car’s former owner, is team owner Michael Anderson, who finished second in last year’s Super3 Series following class wins at Bathurst and Townsville.
After four years of being a closed shop, entries for the Bathurst 1000 opened up with the modern iteration of the wildcard program in 2009, for teams outside those contracted to all events.
For 11 of those 13 races, 16 wildcard entries have made it to The Mountain for race week, with the best finish recorded to date coming in 2013, when a Triple Eight-prepared entry for internationals Andy Priaulx and Mattias Ekström finished 10th.
That combination led a total of 17 laps late in the race until a splash and dash of fuel relegated the team down the finishing order.
Last year, Triple Eight was also behind the wildcard entry of Feeney and Russell Ingall, which was running in ninth towards the finish, before Feeney crashed out at McPhillamy Park.
The Repco Supercars Championship returns with the Merlin Darwin Triple Crown at Hidden Valley Raceway over June 17-19.
Related: Lowndesy’s Ford Falcon supercar set to break auction records
Related: MOTORSPORT: Mostert steals Bathurst 1000
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