THE most experienced driver in ATCC/Supercars history will encounter a new challenge in the 2023 enduros.
With a seat fit complete and test livery launched, Craig Lowndes and Triple Eight’s #888 wildcard Gen3 Camaro will head to Queensland Raceway on Thursday (June 1) for a test day.
It comes ahead of Zane Goddard driving the brand-new car at the Darwin Triple Crown, and an unprecedented racing experience for Lowndes come the Sandown 500 and Bathurst 1000.
“Even when I first started in ’94, I’ve never raced a car without an anti-rollbar adjuster in it,” Lowndes said last night.
“So all those things, I have got to get my head around, Zane obviously does as well, and we’re going to be learning off both Shane (van Gisbergen) and Broc (Feeney) with what they have been able to do, how they have been able to adapt.”
Supercars has indicated it is open to adding anti-rollbar adjusters to Gen3 cars at some stage, although it is not currently a high priority.
Goddard and Lowndes will have Wes McDougall as race engineer; V8 Sleuth understands McDougall will split time between Triple Eight and Matt Stone Racing, with whom he returned to the Supercars paddock this year.
“The test day is going to be really important to go through the fundamentals working with Wes McDougall,” said Lowndes. “I know Wes really well, Zane is sort of getting to know him.
“Wes was part of the Triple Eight family a couple of years ago so he slots back in really well and he has got some great experience with the way our philosophy as Triple Eight runs, so I’m really looking forward to working with Wes.
“That test day is about gelling all of that, making sure that Zane, now knowing that he is going to be racing in Darwin, probably get him to do some starts, get him to do some fundamental things that both Broc and Shane have been used to having a couple of meetings under their belt.”
Lowndes also spearheaded the 2022 Supercheap Auto-backed wildcard, combining with Declan Fraser to finish eighth in the Great Race.
