{"id":275034,"date":"2026-02-09T09:20:20","date_gmt":"2026-02-09T09:20:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/275034\/"},"modified":"2026-02-09T09:20:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T09:20:20","slug":"supercars-news-craig-lowndes-goes-retro-with-team-18-wildcard-number","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/275034\/","title":{"rendered":"Supercars news: Craig Lowndes goes retro with Team 18 wildcard number"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Craig
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCraig Lowndes. Image: Supplied <\/p>\n

The squad has revealed its Supercheap Auto wildcard will compete with #15 \u2013 as used by Lowndes to win the Australian Touring Car Championship on debut 30 years ago.<\/p>\n

That triumph came with the Holden Racing Team, which had begun using the #15 in 1992 \u2013 chosen to pair with its existing #16.<\/p>\n

It became #015 by the time of Lowndes\u2019 sensational Bathurst debut with the squad in 1994 \u2013 a reference to team sponsor Telecom MobileNet.<\/p>\n

The number was simplified back to #15 when the telecommunications company withdrew its support ahead of what proved a sensational 1996 season.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Craig Lowndes racing with #15 in 1996. Image: Supplied<\/p>\n

Lowndes raced in Europe in 1997 before returning to HRT and taking #15 to a second championship in 1998, after which he used the champion\u2019s #1.<\/p>\n

The fan favourite left HRT at the end of 2000 and for the last 21 years has been synonymous with #888 while driving for Triple Eight Race Engineering.<\/p>\n

Lowndes\u2019 decision to stick with GM amid Triple Eight\u2019s defection to Ford meant a change of team and number, the choice of which neatly ties in with the 1996 anniversary.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve spent almost two decades racing with #888, so to sit down with Charlie [Schwerkolt] and talk about what comes next was exciting,\u201d said Lowndes.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe number 15 was the first one that came to mind because it\u2019s where my Supercars career began back in 1996.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo have the chance to return to it now, 30 years on, and to be able to do that with Team 18 is really special.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think fans are going to love it, because it brings back a lot of memories, not just for me, but for everyone who remembers those early years.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo go full circle and come back to 15 after three decades is something I\u2019m incredibly proud of.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Lowndes won a second title in 1998 driving #15. Image: Supplied<\/p>\n

Team owner Schwerkolt added his delight at being able to celebrate Lowndes\u2019 history.<\/p>\n

\u201cCraig Lowndes is one of the true legends of our sport, and the number 15 is where it all began for him,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople still remember the impact he had with that number, winning races, winning championships and announcing himself as something special from day one.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo be able to bring that number back for Craig, 30 years on from his debut, and celebrate an incredible career in this way is something we\u2019re extremely proud of at Team 18.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a chance to celebrate an extraordinary career, the history of the sport, and what Craig has meant to generations of Supercars fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lowndes is expected to share the #15 Team 18 Camaro with Porsche Carrera Cup runner Bayley Hall<\/a> in The Bend 500 and Bathurst 1000 events.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The team adds #15 to its #18 and #20 numbers. Image: Supplied<\/p>\n

Triple Eight last week confirmed it will bestow its #888 on Will Brown this season<\/a>, returning it to the full-time grid for the first time since Lowndes\u2019 retirement in 2018.<\/p>\n

The #15 last appeared in 2020 with Rick Kelly, who had won the 2004 Bathurst 1000 (alongside Greg Murphy) and 2006 championship with the number.<\/p>\n

It had transferred through the Holden Young Lions, Kmart Racing and HSV Dealer Team outfits between 1999 and 2008 before becoming part of Kelly Racing.<\/p>\n

The Kmart era included Greg Murphy adopting his famous #51 as a simple reversal of #15.<\/p>\n


\"\"\/
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