Bathurst 1000: Craig Lowndes believes a future Mount Panorama three-peat is all but dead

As Craig Lowndes prepares to line up for his 30th start in the Bathurst 1000, the Supercars legend questioned whether a Mount Panorama three-peat will ever be achieved again.

Supercars legend Craig Lowndes has questioned whether a Bathurst 1000 three-peat will ever be achieved again as he reflected on the biggest moments of his career ahead of his major Mount Panorama milestone.

The V8 great will become the third driver to mark three decades of racing in Supercars’ showpiece when he brings up his 30th start in the Bathurst 1000 this weekend.

Only Jim Richards (35 starts) and the late Peter Brock (32) have driven more times in the famous race.

Lowndes, who will line up in a Triple Eight wildcard with Zane Goddard, retired from full-time racing at the end of 2018, the year he won the last of his seven Bathurst 1000 races, but has continued to race at Mount Panorama every year since.

The 49-year-old is equal second on the list for most Bathurst wins alongside Richards – only Brock is ahead of them on nine – and remains hopeful he can still challenge for another crown.

Reflecting on his Bathurst achievements, Lowndes rated his 2006 win with seven-time Supercars champion Jamie Whincup, which came shortly after the death of his longtime mentor Brock, as his most memorable and emotional.

Craig Lowndes (front right) and Steven Richards in 2018. Picture: AAP/Brendan Esposito

Craig Lowndes with Jamie Whincup holding Peter Brock Trophy in 2006.

The win was the first of a Bathurst three-peat for Lowndes and Whincup between 2006 and 2008 – a feat Lowndes suggested might not be repeated.

“I’m not sure (if we will see it again), I think it’s going to be difficult,” Lowndes said.

“The competition has become a lot more closer. You never say never.

“I have always said you would never get close to Brock’s nine (wins) but we are sitting on seven so hopefully we might be able to make it eight.

“When Jamie and I had the three-peat, we won those three years in very different circumstances. That is the beauty of Bathurst, you are always in with a shot.”

Lowndes and Whincup won their three consecutive titles when two full-time drivers were allowed to pair up for Bathurst before the rules were changed in 2010.

Lowndes recently signed a two-year contract extension with Triple Eight to continue fronting a wildcard, which will keep him racing at Bathurst into his 50s.

Asked whether he could see himself racing beyond then, Lowndes said he would have to assess where he was “in life and speed”.

“There are a lot of young kids coming up through the ranks who have great abilities and everything else, so I’m not sure,” Lowndes said.

“Where I sit right now, I’m sure that we could. Talk to me in two more years when I’m a little older, a little greyer and probably maybe a little bit slower.

“Experience counts for a lot (at Bathurst). Just to get through that week for the next two years, I am really looking forward to it.”

Lowndes still takes the time to reflect on his Bathurst triumphs and said he would never forget the emotion he felt following the 2006 win.

“The ’06 win with the passing of Peter ... that was the most emotional race for me in lots of ways,” he said.

“But to then be able to stand on the podium at the end of the day, even though we were Ford at the time, to at least have the following and the respect of everyone after that year.

“That to me is always going to be the standout one.”

In his 30 years of racing at the mountain, Lowndes admitted his approach to the race had changed.

“I think my very first one in ‘94 I could not let go of the steering wheel because I was so hyped and excited and the adrenaline was the only thing going,” Lowndes said.

“I suppose over the years I have learned to relax and enjoy it and take it for what it is and knowing that it’s going to be a long race.

“I suppose the wisdom of (former Triple Eight boss) Roland Dane is that you can’t win it on lap one, but you can definitely lose it, I think that we take a lot of that advice into the race, especially at the start of the race, is making sure that we are there at the end.”

Every year for the past decade, Lowndes and his wife Lara pack up the caravan and make the road trip down the east coast from Queensland to Mount Panorama as part of his build-up to the race.

Craig Lowndes will start in his 30th Bathurst 1000. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Lowndes said the mountain still held the same magic for him as it did when he first started racing there.

“We’ll drive across the Blue Mountains and once you see that white rock (Mount Panorama sign), it gives you goosebumps every time we drive in, there is no doubt about that,” Lowndes said.

“That’s the beauty of Bathurst, you’re right about the mystique of it, it draws everyone in, whether it is fans that have been there for 40 years or four generations of fans, it’s a destination that we all go to.

“Thinking back on those 30 years, it has been quite a journey to be honest. We have had some great results, we have had some near misses, we’ve had some disappointments, but all in all it’s been quite incredible to know that this year we line-up for our 30th.”

Originally published as Bathurst 1000: Craig Lowndes believes a future Mount Panorama three-peat is all but dead