Lowndesy is spreading his racing wings again, this time taking on the Highlands 101 endurance race in New Zealand, 7-9 November 2014.
The five-time Bathurst 1000 winner will be taking on the 101-lap enduro race alongside one of New Zealand’s best known racers, Inky Tulloch, in the brand new Camaro GT3.
Both Craig and his drive are making debuts at the event – Lowndesy has never driven at the 4.1km Highlands circuit, while it will be the first ever outing for the 650hp, 7.9litre Camaro GT3-spec race car, the first of its kind in the Southern hemisphere.
“One of my biggest reasons for doing the event is to get to race on the Highlands track,” says Craig. “It looks awesome, I’ve heard great things about it and I can’t wait to get there. Learning new tracks is both challenging and fun, I am looking forward to it.”
His co-driver, Tulloch, is thrilled to have the Red Bull Holden pilot on board: “The early form of the Camaro has been promising, but we’re still working through some of the ‘new car’ gremlins. Craig is an outstanding driver with outstanding technical ability to get the best out of any car so I’m looking forward to racing with Craig and seeing him help uncover the true potential of the Camaro.”
Lowndesy’s fitness had better be up to scratch – a feature of the Highlands 101 event is a Le Mans-style sprint to the start. Deciding who dons their running shoes hasn’t exactly been high on the radar yet, though.
“We haven’t had a chance to think about who’ll start in the car or who’ll be running yet. It’ll be up to Ian, so maybe we’ll just toss a coin! I’m just happy to be a part of it,” said Craig.