Just as he does every year, Craig Lowndes is drawing on memories of Australian motorsport legend Peter Brock to fuel yet another attempt at the Bathurst 1000.
It is just that this year’s Great Race feels a bit more special, with Australian motorsport marking 20 years since the nine-time Mount Panorama conqueror’s tragic death.
A long-time protege of Brock, seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner Lowndes will line up for his 33rd bid at claiming the holy grail of Australian motorsport.
The 52-year-old will share the number 15 Team 18 wildcard with Super2 racer Bayley Hall after Triple Eight Racing Engineering ditched Chevrolet for Ford last year.
Lowndes has paired with rookies since former Triple Eight teammate Jamie Whincup’s retirement in 2021, a move that helps the three-time Supercars champion pass on Brock’s legacy.
“I’m somewhat gone full circle,” Lowndes said today.
“Bayley, we did a track walk the other day, and I literally recalled everything that Peter taught me; from Turn 1, from Hell Corner, all the way around to Murray’s Corner.
“For me, I’m hopefully passing on that legacy in some way … it is a milestone year. There’s no doubt about that.”
Peter Brock, pictured in 2004, won the Bathurst 1000 a record nine times. (Getty Images: Robert Cianflone)
Ask Lowndes what he remembers of Brock’s counsel, and he will condense his knowledge of the track’s 23 corners into a minute: advice like doing all your braking over Skyline or looking for the kink on the inside of the Elbow for your turn-in point.
“Peter was more than just a teammate,” Lowndes said.
“His legacy will live on forever. He was bigger than the sport in some regards.
“He was just very much a person that could capture people’s attention, hold their attention, but also inspire them for greatness.
“Those are the parts that I miss 20 years on.”
Just weeks after Brock died in 2006, Lowndes roared to an emotional Bathurst 1000 win with an up-and-coming Jamie Whincup to pay tribute to his great mate.
Just weeks after Peter Brock’s death, Craig Lowndes (left) and Jamie Whincup won the Bathurst 1000 in 2006. (Getty Images: LAT Images/Mark Horsburgh)
“History shows that the gap at the end of the day was 0.5, and that was Brock’s number for a long time,” Lowndes said.
Whincup added: “The minute’s silence, I’ll never forget that.”
“You generally got someone on the hill yell out or whatnot, but that day, even the birds stopped chirping.
“It was my first (Bathurst) win for the team and a memory that I’ll take to the grave.”
Seven-time champion Whincup won’t be on the grid for the first time since his 2002 debut, making way for Nick Percat to link up with title contender Broc Feeney, and allowing him to focus on his duties as Triple Eight team principal.
Feeney and Percat will be smarting after a horror outing at last month’s The Bend 500, finishing 24th out of 26 cars at the Bathurst 1000 curtain-raiser.
The Triple Eight star has never won the 1,000km epic and is second in the standings behind last year’s race winner and Grove Racing star Matt Payne.
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