There are plenty of numbers that matter at Mount Panorama – 161 laps, 1000 kilometres and, this year, 33 is a pretty important one for Craig Lowndes.
When Lowndes lines up for the 2026 Repco Bathurst 1000, he will make his 33rd consecutive Great Race start, moving past his late mentor Peter Brock, who made 32 Bathurst starts.
Only the great Jim Richards has made more, with 35 starts between 1974 and 2006.
It is another remarkable milestone for Lowndes, who first tackled Bathurst back in 1994 – so long ago that 33 of the other 51 drivers on this year’s grid weren’t even born yet!
Across his 32 Bathurst appearances, Lowndes has collected a record 14 podium finishes, including seven victories, five second places and two thirds.
This year also brings some special anniversaries. It is 30 years since Lowndes claimed his first Bathurst victory and 20 years since his emotional 2006 win, which came just weeks after the death of Peter Brock.
Now racing with Team 18, Lowndes will share the #15 Supercheap Auto Camaro with rising star Bayley Hall.
And just for another little piece of Bathurst trivia – Lowndes sits only two victories behind Brock’s famous record of nine Great Race wins.
Not bad for a bloke making start number 33!
