Craig Lowndes: 17 things you didn't know about the Aussie race ace

Craig Lowndes is one of Australia’s favourite racing drivers. He’s been retired from full-time driving for more than two seasons but remains one of most recognizable and beloved V8 Supercar stars.

He burst onto the racing scene in 1994 with a daring drive that almost won him the Bathurst 1000 as a rookie. He then became Peter Brock’s protege at the Holden Racing Team in 1995 before emerging as Brock’s heir apparent - both in terms of on-track success and off-track following.

He went on to have an extremely successful career, winning 110 races in more than 670 starts. But he’s not done yet, with plans to continue racing in the Bathurst 1000 for several more years to try and beat his mentor’s record nine victories.

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How old is Craig Lowndes?

Lowndes was born on June 21, 1974. That makes his age 47 at the time of publication.

Where was Craig Lowndes born?

He was born in Melbourne, Victoria.

Where does Craig Lowndes live?

He now calls Queensland home with a house in Brisbane.

How tall is Craig Lowndes?

Lowndes’ height is reportedly 182cm.

What is Craig Lowndes net worth?

Due to the nature of V8 Supercars and its closely-held contracts it’s unclear exactly how much Lowndes has earned over the course of his career. However, given his popularity and subsequent endorsements he’s likely to have been the top-earner in the sport over the past two decades.

Lowndes is believed to have set new heights for V8 Supercar driver pay with his high-profile switch from Holden to Ford in 2001. His salary was a reported $1m per year at that time, with the blue oval happy to pay big bucks for the sport’s biggest star.

Who are Craig Lowndes' parents?

Craig’s family is made up of his parents, Frank and Helen, and his brother Greg.

Frank was the first Lowndes to make a name for himself in motor racing, working as a mechanic for decades - including a stint with the Holden Dealer Team - before his son arrived as a driver.

How many times has Craig Lowndes been married?

Lowndes has been married twice. He married his first wife, Natalie, in 1997 but the couple divorced in 2011.

He married his current wife, Lara, in late 2015.

Does Craig Lowndes have kids?

Yes, he has two kids from his first marriage - a son, Levi, and daughter, Chilli.

He famously raced with pictures of his children on his helmet throughout much of his career.

Does Craig Lowndes have a car collection?

The Craig Lowndes special edition Holden Commodore.

Lowndes doesn’t have a fleet of Ferraris but he does own a car with plenty of sentimental value - his first racing car. The car is the 1985 Van Diemen Formula Ford that he drove on his way to becoming a V8 Supercar star.

The high watermark of his popularity came with the release of the 2014 Holden Commodore SS-V Craig Lowndes Special Edition, making him the first V8 driver to get his name on the side of a factory-released road car since Peter Brock.

Has Craig Lowndes written any books?

Yes, Lowndes wrote the book - The Inside Line: The High-Speed World of a V8 Supercar Legend - with long-time motorsport journalist Mark Fogarty back in 2010.

Is Craig Lowndes on social media?

Yes, you can follow him on Instagram and Twitter with the handle - @craiglowndes888 

Did Craig Lowndes race with Peter Brock?

Lowndes is often regarded as Peter Brock's protege.

Yes and no. The pair never shared a car but were teammates at the Holden Racing Team between 1993 and 1996.

Did Craig Lowndes drive in Formula 1?

No, but he tried to make it to F1 in his earliest days. After winning the 1996 Australian Touring Car Championship in 1996 he moved to Europe to race in the International Formula 3000 series.

He drove for the RSM Marko team, run by now Red Bull motorsport chief Helmut Marko, and was teammates with F1 and IndyCar winner, Juan Pablo Montoya. His best result was a fourth place and he returned to V8 Supercars in 1997.

Did Craig Lowndes retire?

While Lowndes still competes in the Supercars endurance races and various sports car series, he announced his retirement from full-time V8 racing at the end of the 2018 season.

Who does Craig Lowndes drive for?

Lowndes raced full-time for Triple Eight Racing from 2005-2018.

Lowndes drives for Triple Eight Race Engineering in the Supercars endurance events.

He started his professional career with the Holden Racing Team (HRT) in 1994, running at Bathurst in ‘94 and ‘95 before graduating to a full-time seat in ‘96. After his F3000 sojourn he raced with HRT from ‘97 until 2000.

In 2001 he joined Ford and raced for the Gibson Motorsport team for two seasons before switching to the factory-backed Ford Performance Racing for the 2004 and ‘05 seasons.

He joined Triple Eight Racing Engineering in 2005 and has been at the team ever since. However, when Shane van Gisbergen joined the Red Bull-backed team alongside Jamie Whincup, Lowndes moved to a third entry run under the Team Vortex and then Autobarn Racing branding.

How many times has Craig Lowndes won Bathurst?

Lowndes teaming with Mark Skaife won the 2010 Bathurst 1000.

Seven. He won his first in 1996 for HRT alongside Greg Murphy but then didn’t win his next for a decade. Since he joined Triple Eight he has been a perennial contender winning three times in a row between 2006-’08 alongside Jamie Whincup. He won again in 2010 with Mark Skaife, then in 2015 and ‘18 with Steven Richards.

He also has two Bathurst 12-hour victories to his credit too, in 2014 and ‘15 driving a Ferrari with Maranello Motorsports.

How many V8 Supercar Championships has Craig Lowndes won?

Three. Lowndes won the Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercar title the first three seasons he competed in 1996, ‘98 and ‘99.

He finished runner-up six times too, in 2005, ‘06, ‘11, ‘12, ‘13 and ‘15.