Craig Lowndes

Craig Lowndes (born the June 21st 1974 with Melbourne, Australia), is an Australian racing driver. Relatively ignored out of its country for lack of a great international career, it is in Australia one of the most famous pilots of the championship V8 Supercars Australia, than it gained with three recoveries.

Biography

After several years of karting, Craig Lowndes began its career in automobile sport in 1991, in the championship of Australia of Formule Ford. Winner of the championship in 1993, it leaves for England to at the end of the year dispute there prestigious Formula Ford Festival of Brands Hatch, which it finishes in the third place. In 1994, Lowndes continues its progression in the single-seater by disputing the championship of Formule Holden (Australian equivalent of the F3000).

Its good performances are worth to him to interest certain teams of the championship of tourism V8 Supercars, the discipline queen of the Australian automobile sport. First of all recruited as a second pilot for the two long tests that are Sandown 500 and the Bathurst 1000, it takes down a full-time wheel for season 1996 within Holden Racing TEAM. The first complete season of Lowndes in V8 Supercar is a true triumph since it gains the championship, while being essential in particular on Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.

Then regarded as controls it Australian most gifted of its generation, Lowndes decides to try its chance in Europe with the Formule 1 like objective. In 1997, it obtains a wheel in the international championship of Formula 3000, within Austrian stable RSM Marko. Very waited, Lowndes disappoints quickly, and is completely made eclipse by its fellow-member Juan Pablo Montoya. Without money to dispute a second season of F3000, it turns over in V8 Supercar, where it takes down back-to-back two new championships in 1998 and 1999.

In 2001, it creates sensation by leaving Holden to join the rows of Ford and the stables Gibson Motorsport then Ford Performance Racing. This transfer proves not very profitable from a sporting point of view, and moves away Lowndes from the fight for the title during several seasons. Winner of a race in 2003, Lowndes finds the foreground in 2005 thanks to his transfer in the stable Triple Eight and must only with one certain lack of regularity be beaten with the championship by Russell Ingall. It again finishes vice-champion in 2006 (with in premium a success in Bathurst 1000) after being sent out-track at the time of the ultimate handle of the championship by its rival Rick Kelly.

Random links: