Lowndes to split from Triple Eight after 20 years to stay at General Motors

Triple Supercars champion Craig Lowndes will split with his team of 20 years, Triple Eight, at the end of the season to remain a General Motors driver in 2026.

Lowndes will join with a to-be-named Chevrolet Supercars team while Triple Eight becomes a Ford team next season.

He joined Triple Eight when it was a Ford team in 2005 and took the squad’s maiden V8 Supercars victory the same year. He has won six Bathurst 1000 races with the team, which switched to GM’s Holden brand in 2010.

Since he stepped down from racing full-time at the end of 2018, he became a co-driver, before in 2022 moving to T8’s Wildcard programme, in which he is joined by and mentors a young driver. That will continue this season, when he races alongside Super2 champion Zach Bates in The Bend 500 and the Bathurst 1000.

“I have nothing but good feelings and great memories from my time at Triple Eight,” Lowndes said. 

“I have nothing but respect for them as a race team, engineering organisation and, importantly, the people within – at all levels.

“This has been a very tough decision and one that has taken a lot of time and thought to work through.

“Loyalty has always been a key factor in my time with Triple Eight but, at this stage of my career, I think it is the best decision to make for my future.

“It is rare that anyone works with the same people for 10 years, let alone 20, so to be able to look back on two decades with the same racing team and all the memories we have shared along the way is very special.

“To be part of the team from their formative years and through to them becoming the powerhouse they are today has been the most fulfilling part of my career.

“And during that we have shared amazing success together and huge milestones in my career — I can only say ‘thank you’ to everyone who has been part of the journey, inside the team and beyond as well.”