Lowndes seals dream finish at Bathurst
Craig Lowndes steers himself to victory in his final Bathurst as a full-time driver on Sunday. Photo: Getty
Craig Lowndes finished his full-time V8 driving commitments at Mount Panorama on a high, securing his seventh Bathurst 1000 win in an emotional race on Sunday.
Cheered on by his fervent following, including his father Frank, “The Kid” partnered with Steve Richards in the No.888 Holden ZB Commodore for Autobarn Triple Eight Race Engineering to overcome Scott Pye/Warren Luff by six seconds. Scott McLaughlin/Alex Premat were third.
In his post-race interview, a teary Lowndes, 44, said he and Richards had gained confidence from their Sandown win and had overcome mechanical “trouble all weekend”.
“It’s a great feeling.”
The crowd are going absolutely crazy for the legend, @craiglowndes888.#VASC #Bathurst1000 pic.twitter.com/dpMylYe8n9
— Supercars (@supercars) October 7, 2018
It was also the fifth win for co-driver Richards, who said Lowndes’ victory in his farewell year made the feat even sweeter.
“There’s no better place in the world to win than at Bathurst,” Richards, 46, said.
“The team have worked so hard [to win with Lowndes]. No one could have scripted this any better.”
A jubilant Craig Lowndes acknowledges the “unbelievable” support at Bathurst. Photo: Getty
The win was Lowndes’ 14th podium finish at Mount Panorama and extended he and Richards lead in the V8s Enduro Series.
In securing his seventh Bathurst crown – 1996, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2015 and 2018 – the three-time V8 Supercar champion equalled the feats of Richards’ father Jim to become equal second in terms of all-time wins. Peter Brock stands atop the podium with nine.
.@craiglowndes888 and @Steve_Richo are your 2018 #Bathurst1000 winners, after late heartbreak for @daffidreynolds and @LukeYoulden. #VASC
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— Supercars (@supercars) October 7, 2018
Defending champion David Reynolds was the hard-luck story of the day.
Suffering from fatigue, he cramped badly and allowed Lowndes to overtake with 27 laps remaining. Trailing by only 2.5 seconds, he then accidentally spun the wheels while refuelling at a pit stop to incur a time penalty and was distraught after his co-driver Luke Youlden took over.
They finished 13th.
HIGHLIGHTS
Another chapter in @craiglowndes888's amazing Bathurst story. Relive the highlights of the 2018 @SupercheapAuto #Bathurst1000 #VASC
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— Supercars (@supercars) October 7, 2018
2012 winner Jamie Whincup started as the race favourite, and still with a faint hope of retaining his Supercars championship.
But within 50 laps, both goals were out of sight as a loose wheel forced co-driver Paul Dumbrell to negotiate a lap with just three wheels, and a lengthy pit stop for repairs followed.
The pair salvaged 10th place but the respective points hauls by series leaders Shane van Gisbergen and Scott McLaughlin put paid to dreams of an eighth title.
“I don’t feel like we did much wrong today … there’s one story of our day and it’s the wheel falling off,” he said.
“We just did what we could to turn that around.”
2014 champion Chaz Mostert also had a day to forget, but he still managed to finish fourth and was cleared by officials after sending the Falcon of Tickford Racing teammate Cam Waters into the wall.
Waters struggled through to 23rd, 14 laps behind the leaders.
Mostert later admitted he’d made a blue.
“I ran out of room … it definitely wasn’t intentional,” he said of pushing Waters’ co-driver David Russell off the track during an overtaking move.
“It’s a real shame. If I could take it all back I’d wait for another opportunity.”
A two-time Bathurst-winning Peter Brock Holden Commodore has sold for more than $2 million. #Bathurst1000 #VASC https://t.co/X7uTaZQxYI
— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) October 6, 2018
Meanwhile, the car driven by the late Peter Brock in his 1982 and 1983 Bathurst wins has fetched the highest price in Australian auction history, selling for $2.1 million.
The famous HDT VH Commodore was the first car to win two Bathurst races in a row and sold at Lloyds Auctions before the eyes of racing identities Allan Moffat, Fred Gibson and David Parsons.
It beats the previous auction record set by the sale of the Ford Falcon GTHO Phase III once owned by cricketer Jeff Thomson, which sold for $1.03 million in June.
-with AAP
