Lowndes crashes at Safari

... just a week before he is due to defend his Mt Panorama crown.

Lowndes rolled his Holden Colorado on to its side in the Australasian Safari in Western Australia early yesterday. (WED)  "I'm ok and I'll be fine for Bathurst," he said last night.

"That caused us to have a fairly gentle roll and we ended up on the navigator's side," he said. "It was just a second gear corner, so we weren't even going very fast."

He and navigator John Panozzo pushed their vehicle back on to its wheels but had to be towed to the finish of the stage by competitors Murray Young and Paul McBean.

The crash came after Lowndes had won all four stages of the Safari and was leading by more than 20 minutes.

"It was a bit disappointing because we were doing so well, conserving the car and we were only 12km from our refueling stop," he said.

The incident has blunted Lowndes's chances of defending his Safari title after copping a maximum time penalty for not completing a stage.

"It's not over yet.  We could still make a podium spot if we're lucky," he said.

The crash has handed the lead to Steve Riley and John Doble in a Mitsubishi Pajero with only two days to go.

Lowndes said he was keen to return to the Safari next year.

"It's a fantastic event that gives me a lot of enjoyment," he said. "You do a lot more competitive driving here than in V8s and it's a lot of fun."