Holden hero Craig Lowndes rejects Ford move, leaves team
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As Triple Eight Race Engineering moves to Ford, the seven-time Bathurst winner has announced he'll leave the team after two decades to stick with General Motors.
V8 Supercars icon Craig Lowndes will leave Triple Eight Race Engineering at the end of 2025 as the team switches from the Chevrolet Camaro to the Ford Mustang.
Lowndes, 50, announced he will not renew his contract with the team at the end of the 2025 V8 Supercars Championship season after 21 years driving for the team with immense success including six Bathurst 1000 wins.
"This has been a very tough decision and one that has taken a lot of time and thought to work through," a statement from Lowndes said.
"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."
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The V8 Supercars Hall of Famer has not yet confirmed which Chevrolet team he will drive for in 2026.
"We have a plan for the future and that plan includes continuing to drive competitively; however, right now 100 per cent of my focus is on the Supercars enduros with Zach Bates in the Supercheap Auto Wildcard and doing the best job we can to get a result in both races," Lowndes said.
Triple Eight made the shock announcement earlier this year it would switch from racing the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to the Ford Mustang GT from 2026 onwards – that move now coincides with the departure of Lowndes.
"From race wins to three-peats at the mountain, what an absolute privilege it's been for us to provide you a race car to showcase your skills — a journey that’s continued much longer than we ever imagined," said former team-mate, co-driver and now Triple Eight boss, Jamie Whincup.
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"We can’t wait to celebrate this amazing partnership at Bathurst this year and can’t thank you enough for the incredible journey. May the Craig Lowndes/Triple Eight highlight reels live on forever."
Chevrolet replaced Holden – both brands being part of General Motors (GM) in V8 Supercars – with most Holden teams switching to Chevrolet at the start of 2023.
With the closure of the Holden brand, Lowndes – who started his career in a Holden – became an ambassador for the local GMSV (General Motors Specialty Vehicles) arm and will continue his association with the brand.
"We are thrilled to continue our long-term relationship with Craig Lowndes. Craig is the perennial fan favourite – even to this day, some 30 years after his debut," Chris Payne, General Manager Marketing Aftersales and Chevrolet Racing, said in a statement.
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Lowndes was instrumental in creating the Triple Eight Race Engineering juggernaut, a perennial front-running team and benchmark with unprecedented success.
He joined the team in 2005 – ironically when it was backed by Ford – and achieved its first V8 Supercars race win the same year, took six of his seven Bathurst 1000s victories and nine podiums with the outfit.
The fan favourite – famous for his broad grin – retired from full-time competition at the end of 2018.
Triple Eight has since fielded a 'wildcard' entry for Lowndes in long distance V8 Supercars races including Bathurst, where the veteran has teamed up with a young driver to help develop their skills.
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"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."
"It is rare that anyone works with the same people for ten years, let alone twenty, 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.
"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.
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