Supercars icon Craig Lowndes confirms move to Team 18 after 20 years with Triple Eight
Lowndes confirmed in March that 2025 would mark the final year of his two-decade partnership with Ford-bound Triple Eight.
The veteran has now signed a two-year deal with Team 18, the outfit that General Motors selected to replace Triple Eight as its Supercars homologation team.
The 51-year-old will spearhead the Chevrolet Camaro wildcard entry at Supercars endurance races from 2026, mentoring a young rookie driver.
Lowndes has competed in a staggering 31 editions of the Bathurst 1000, having won the famed race on seven occasions.
'Joining Team 18 was the right move for me, being the new homologation team and my strong relationship with GM,' Lowndes said in a statement.
'It's going to be a big change — joining a new team after so many years.
'But there are a lot of familiar faces in there.
'It's an exciting time ahead ... the Supercheap Auto Wildcard program has grown from strength to strength during my time at Triple Eight. The young kids now look to it as a strong pathway to a future in the sport.'
Team 18 owner Charlie Schwerkolt described the recruitment of Lowndes, who joins David Reynolds and Anton De Pasquale at the Melbourne-based team, as 'an incredible honour'.
'To go from starting as a single-car customer entry in 2013, to building a team from the ground up, to now running a wildcard for one of the most legendary names in Supercars, it's a proud moment for every person in our organisation,' Schwerkolt said.
'We'll be throwing everything at this program.
'Our next step is to identify a rising star to pair with Craig, assemble the right crew, and build a program that can challenge at Bathurst and The Bend.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
7NEWS
12 hours ago
- 7NEWS
NRL clubs circle in-demand Gold Coast captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui: ‘Better when he's on your side'
Bulldogs prop Max King isn't even trying to hide how badly he wants Gold Coast captain Tino Fa'asuamaleaui to join his team. Fa'asuamaleaui has a clause in his contract that allows him to speak to other clubs from November 1 for the 2027 season. And the Titans skipper — considered to be the game's best prop — will test the open market with big-money offers waiting from the Dogs and the Perth Bears circling. Titans chairman Dennis Watt has already said he is determined to keep the inspirational Test and Queensland star. But that might not be possible. 'Great teams go after great players and Tino fits that role, he would fit in great knowing him personally. He's a great fella and he's team first with everything,' King, who played with Fa'asuamaleaui at the Storm, said. 'He's a big boy, you know you are in for a physical day when you verse Tino. He's a hard man to handle. He's one that I have played with him and against and it's better when he's on your side.' It has been reported the Perth Bears have a $7.5 million, five-year deal on the table for Fa'asuamaleaui. And the Dragons are also interested, with another report that their offer is 'absolutely massive' and will make him 'the richest' player in St George Illawarra history. Speaking on SEN, incoming Bears coach Meninga said: 'I'd be silly if I didn't go and have a conversation with him. 'He's a leader already, plays long minutes and is charismatic around the club. 'I know Tino well. His preference would be to stay at the Titans but he's been pretty open with his commentary. The club has to prove to him the Titans have a future. 'There's no doubt if he became available, I wouldn't be the only person trying to talk to him. He's such a talent and young.' Bulldogs' Hayward switch could be best in 15 years No NRL premier has made such a big and late tactical change at hooker in 15 seasons but Canterbury players insist Bailey Hayward's promotion to No.9 can help the Bulldogs become even better. With five rounds before finals, Hayward started as an NRL rake for the first time in Canterbury's defeat of the Warriors and retains his spot for Friday's clash with the Sydney Roosters. It's left North Queensland-bound Reed Mahoney, starting dummy-half in a grand final three years ago, consigned to a bench spot as the third-placed Dogs eye a first premiership since 2004. 'Respectfully, there probably wasn't a spot for (Hayward) in the 17 at the start of the year and he's just forced his way into the team every week,' said Bulldogs prop Max King. 'Now he's forced himself inside that 13, in the No.9. It's a credit to himself and how he's going.' Hayward's breakout season notwithstanding, it is rare for premiership-winning teams to make such a dramatic shift in the crucial position so late in a campaign. The most recent example of a team tinkering with its starting hooker this late in a premiership run was in 2022, when Penrith's Mitch Kenny began to start ahead of Api Koroisau. But that change was nowhere near as seismic as the Hayward move, with Koroisau always swapped to the bench on game day and still playing the majority of each game at hooker. South Sydney memorably thrust Koroisau into starting hooker when Issac Luke was suspended for the 2014 grand final, while rookie Sam Verrills replaced the injured Jake Friend with seven regular-season games to play in 2019. But it's not since 2010 that a side has made as big a tactical move at hooker this late in the season and gone on to win the premiership. That year, St George Illawarra coach Wayne Bennett began deploying Dean Young at the expense of dual premiership-winner Luke Priddis, who only started again when stars were rested before finals. Coincidentally, Bennett began the tactical change with five games before finals - the exact same time of the season as Canterbury have begun starting the newly re-signed Hayward. But Hayward's teammates are confident the late change can take the Bulldogs to new heights. 'Bailey's biggest attribute is his communication and the way he works with teammates,' King said. 'He makes us all better. Everyone speaks about the greatest compliment you can get is (being) a player that players want to play with. He fits into that mould. 'He makes us a better team.' Canterbury retooled their attack ahead of their season's best performance, a 42-4 walloping of Manly three weeks ago, and Hayward has been tipped to continue their ascent in that area. '(Hayward at hooker) is obviously going to add that value to us in attack. We're obviously building on that each week but he'll bring a dimension to that as well,' said five-eighth Matt Burton. 'He's been great for us all year.' Mahoney played 16-and-a-half minutes from the bench on Saturday, only coming on once the result was sealed. '(The change) is not really a discredit to him, it's just more of a credit to Bailey and how he's been performing. It's a tough position for Reed but I feel like he's handled it really well,' King said.
7NEWS
19 hours ago
- 7NEWS
Nissan Ariya: First examples of Japanese Tesla Model Y rival en route to Australia
The Nissan Ariya is finally on its way to Australia almost five years after it was revealed, with first examples of the mid-size electric SUV having been loaded onto a ship bound for our shores. After opening its order book on July 25, Nissan Australia has now shared images of Australia-bound Ariya vehicles ahead of their official on-sale date at the beginning of September. They're manufactured in Nissan's Tochigi Plant in Japan, yet the Ariya significantly undercuts its fellow Japanese-built rivals on price. Starting at $55,840 before on-road costs, the Ariya is more than $10,000 cheaper than the most affordable Toyota bZ4X ($66,000 before on-roads) and Subaru Solterra ($69,990 plus on-roads). CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Nissan. Click here to get a great deal. It also manages to undercut the popular Tesla Model Y (priced from $58,900 plus on-roads), the best-selling vehicle in this segment, though it's more expensive than the second-placed BYD Sealion 7 (from $54,990 before on-roads). Nissan Australia will offer four variants of the Ariya: the front-wheel drive Engage and Advance, which use a 63kWh battery and a 160kW/300Nm electric motor; the Advance+, which upgrades to an 87kWh battery and 178kW/300Nm motor; and the all-wheel drive Evolve flagship, which uses the larger battery but has two electric motors both producing 160kW. The Ariya is backed by Nissan's 10-year, 300,000km warranty, provided you service the vehicle at Nissan Australia dealerships. Otherwise, Nissan's standard warranty is five years with no mileage cap. Nissan also backs the Ariya's battery with an eight-year, 160,000km warranty, including a guaranteed minimum battery capacity of at least nine bars out of the 12 visible on the vehicle's battery capacity level gauge. The Ariya was revealed in concept form in 2019, before the showroom version was unveiled in 2020 and entered production in 2021. An Australian launch was first planned for 2023 but its arrival was postponed – something which Nissan Australia blamed on Australian Design Rules (ADRs) as well as limited supply for our market. The Ariya's belated arrival in Australia means it avoided an EV price war across the Australian auto industry, led by aggressive price cuts from market-leading EV brand, Tesla. 'I think we've been smart with the timing,' Nissan Australia boss Andrew Humberstone told CarExpert in September 2024. 'Or else we would have had to respond to the market conditions and our pricing would have been catastrophic. I think we've read that one well.' He told CarExpert the final push to have Ariya in showrooms came with the arrival of the federal government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which came into effect on January 1, 2025. The Ariya is far from the only vehicle in its segment to face significant delays in coming to Australia, with the Toyota bZ4X and Ford Mustang Mach-E also arriving here much later than in other markets.
Perth Now
19 hours ago
- Perth Now
Nissan Ariya: First examples of Japanese Tesla Model Y rival en route to Australia
The Nissan Ariya is finally on its way to Australia almost five years after it was revealed, with first examples of the mid-size electric SUV having been loaded onto a ship bound for our shores. After opening its order book on July 25, Nissan Australia has now shared images of Australia-bound Ariya vehicles ahead of their official on-sale date at the beginning of September. They're manufactured in Nissan's Tochigi Plant in Japan, yet the Ariya significantly undercuts its fellow Japanese-built rivals on price. Starting at $55,840 before on-road costs, the Ariya is more than $10,000 cheaper than the most affordable Toyota bZ4X ($66,000 before on-roads) and Subaru Solterra ($69,990 plus on-roads). CarExpert can save you thousands on a new Nissan. Click here to get a great deal. Supplied Credit: CarExpert It also manages to undercut the popular Tesla Model Y (priced from $58,900 plus on-roads), the best-selling vehicle in this segment, though it's more expensive than the second-placed BYD Sealion 7 (from $54,990 before on-roads). Nissan Australia will offer four variants of the Ariya: the front-wheel drive Engage and Advance, which use a 63kWh battery and a 160kW/300Nm electric motor; the Advance+, which upgrades to an 87kWh battery and 178kW/300Nm motor; and the all-wheel drive Evolve flagship, which uses the larger battery but has two electric motors both producing 160kW. The Ariya is backed by Nissan's 10-year, 300,000km warranty, provided you service the vehicle at Nissan Australia dealerships. Otherwise, Nissan's standard warranty is five years with no mileage cap. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Nissan also backs the Ariya's battery with an eight-year, 160,000km warranty, including a guaranteed minimum battery capacity of at least nine bars out of the 12 visible on the vehicle's battery capacity level gauge. The Ariya was revealed in concept form in 2019, before the showroom version was unveiled in 2020 and entered production in 2021. An Australian launch was first planned for 2023 but its arrival was postponed – something which Nissan Australia blamed on Australian Design Rules (ADRs) as well as limited supply for our market. The Ariya's belated arrival in Australia means it avoided an EV price war across the Australian auto industry, led by aggressive price cuts from market-leading EV brand, Tesla. Supplied Credit: CarExpert 'I think we've been smart with the timing,' Nissan Australia boss Andrew Humberstone told CarExpert in September 2024. 'Or else we would have had to respond to the market conditions and our pricing would have been catastrophic. I think we've read that one well.' He told CarExpert the final push to have Ariya in showrooms came with the arrival of the federal government's New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES), which came into effect on January 1, 2025. The Ariya is far from the only vehicle in its segment to face significant delays in coming to Australia, with the Toyota bZ4X and Ford Mustang Mach-E also arriving here much later than in other markets. MORE: 2025 Nissan Ariya price and specs MORE: Explore the Nissan Ariya showroom
