Bathurst 1000: Craig Lowndes Believes A Future Mount Panorama Three-peat Is All But Dead

Supercars icon Craig Lowndes is about to make his 30th start in the Bathurst 1000, and he has cast doubt on the possibility of another three-peat at Mount Panorama.

While looking back on his career before his great Mount Panorama milestone, Supercars legend Craig Lowndes wondered if anyone would ever again win the Bathurst 1000 three times.

As he makes his 30th appearance in the Bathurst 1000 this weekend, the V8 great will become the third driver to reach the three-decade milestone in Supercars' showcase.

With 32 starts, only Jim Richards and the late Peter Brock have more experience in the famed event.

Lowndes, who will share a Triple Eight wildcard entry with Zane Goddard, has raced at Mount Panorama year since retiring from full-time racing at the end of 2018, the year he won his seventh and final Bathurst 1000.

The 49-year-old is currently tied for second place with Richards for the most Bathurst victories, with just Brock ahead of them on nine victories.

For Lowndes, the most memorable and emotional moment in his Bathurst career was winning with seven-time Supercars champion Jamie Whincup in 2006. This victory came just after Lowndes' longtime mentor Brock passed away.

It was the first victory in what would become a three-peat at Bathurst for Lowndes and Whincup between the years of 2006 and 2008, a feat that Lowndes claimed would not be accomplished again.

Lowndes remarked, "I don't know (if we will see it again)," which translates to "I think it's going to be difficult."

"The level of competitiveness has been brought up to a much higher level. You should never give up hope.

"I have always said that you will never go close to Brock's nine (wins), but we are currently sitting on seven so here's hoping that we might be able to get it to eight.

When Jamie and I won the tournament for the third year in a row, it was under completely different conditions than the previous two years. The beauty of Bathurst lies in the fact that there is always a chance of winning.

When two full-time drivers were permitted to partner up for Bathurst prior to the regulations being amended in 2010, Lowndes and Whincup won three consecutive titles and set a record for most victories in a single season.

Recently, Lowndes extended his contract with Triple Eight for an additional two years in order to continue fronting a wildcard. This will let him to continue racing at Bathurst well into his 50s.

When asked if he planned to continue racing after that, Lowndes stated he would have to consider his current state "in life and speed" before making any decisions.

And there are a lot of young guys coming up through the ranks with excellent abilities and everything else, so I'm not sure," Lowndes added.

From where I'm sitting, it seems like we could. Let's have another conversation in two years, when I'll be older, greyer, and maybe a little slower.

At Bathurst, one's level of experience is highly valued. I'm looking forward to that week for the next two years just to get through it.

When asked about his feelings after his 2006 Bathurst victory, Lowndes replied, "I'll never forget it."

"The '06 win with Peter's passing... that was the most emotional race for me in lots of ways," he stated of his victory that year.

"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" "But to then be able to stand on the podium at the end of the day"

"That for me is always going to be the standout one."

Lowndes acknowledged that his strategy for the race had evolved throughout the course of his thirty years of competition at the mountain.

"I believe that was my very first one in the year 1994." "I was so hyped up and excited, and the adrenaline was the only thing going," Lowndes recalled. "I could not let go of the steering wheel because it was the only thing going."

"I suppose that as the years have gone by, I have gained the ability to relax, enjoy it, and accept it for what it is, all while being aware that this is 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," said one of the drivers before the race. "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."

As part of his preparation for the race at Mount Panorama in Victoria, Australia, Lowndes and his wife Lara have been making the trip down the east coast from Queensland in a caravan for the previous ten years.

A decade after he initially started racing there, Lowndes noted that the mountain still had the same allure.

As Lowndes put it, "every time we drive in from across the Blue Mountains and see that white rock" (the Mount Panorama sign), "it gives you goosebumps."

"That's the charm of Bathurst; you're absolutely correct about the mystery of it; it attracts everyone, from fans who have been going for 40 years to fans who have been going for four generations; it's a place that we all go.

Those 30 years, when viewed retrospectively, have been quite the adventure. It's incredible to think that this year we'll be lining up for our 30th, because we've had tremendous results, close calls, and disappointments along the way.