Craig Lowndes will not renew his contract with Triple Eight Race Engineering following the conclusion of the 2025 racing season.
It puts a full stop on an unprecedented relationship in Australian Motorsport that has run for two decades and delivered both Lowndes and Triple Eight remarkable success throughout the journey.
Lowndes won Triple Eight’s first ever race in the Supercars Championship in 2005, just five months after joining what was then a still brand-new team.
A year later, he and Jamie Whincup claimed the team’s first Bathurst 1000 win in the emotion-charged 2006 race.
The 20-year relationship accounts for more than half of Lowndes’ 110 Supercars Championship race wins, six of his seven Bathurst 1000 wins and nine podium finishes in the Great Race.
After retiring from full-time Supercars competition following the 2018 season, Lowndes continued to form part of Triple Eight’s team in the Supercars Endurance races. Since 2022 he has headed up the team’s Supercheap Auto Wildcard program, mentoring young drivers including Declan Fraser, Zane Goddard and Cooper Murray in the Supercars enduros.
This year’s Bathurst 1000 will double as Lowndes’ final Bathurst start as a Triple Eight driver, where he will pair with Super2 graduate Zach Bates for his 32nd Great Race campaign.
Jamie Whincup, Managing Director, Triple Eight Race Engineering:
“Let’s all cast our minds back to 2005 when the great Craig Lowndes jumped into a Betta Electrical car, engineered by the late Campbell Little for Triple Eight. That deadly combination went on to win Triple Eight’s first-ever race at Eastern Creek that year. One of many.”
“From race wins to three-peats at the mountain, what an absolute privilege it’s been for us to provide you a race car to showcase your skills—a journey that’s continued much longer than we ever imagined.”
“We can’t wait to celebrate this amazing partnership at Bathurst this year and can’t thank you enough for the incredible journey. May the Craig Lowndes/Triple Eight highlight reels live on forever!”
“On a personal note, thanks for the ride, mate. You have been an incredible teammate, but more importantly, thank you for all the off-track laughs. I still can’t believe you smacked Jennifer Hawkins in the face trying to release a steering wheel!”
Craig Lowndes, Driver, Triple Eight Race Engineering:
“I have nothing but good feelings and great memories from my time at Triple Eight.”
“I have nothing but respect for them as a race team, engineering organisation and importantly the people with in – at all levels.”
“This has been a very tough decision and one that has taken a lot of time and thought to work through. Loyalty has always been a key factor in my time with Triple Eight, but at this stage of my career I think it is the best decision to make for my future.”
“It is rare that anyone works with the same people for ten years, let alone twenty, so to be able to look back on two decades with the same racing team and all the memories we have shared along the way is very special.”
“To be part of the team from their formative years and through to them becoming the powerhouse they are today has been the most fulfilling part of my career And during that we have shared amazing success together and huge milestones in my career- I can only say ‘thank you’ to everyone who has been part of the journey, inside the team and beyond as well.”
“We have a plan for the future and that plan includes continuing to drive competitively: however, right now 100% of my focus is on the Supercars enduros with Zach Bates in the Supercheap Auto Wildcard and doing the best job we can to get a result in both races.”
