SINCE Craig Lowndes burst onto the Supercars scene in 1994, he has enjoyed the sort of success that most drivers dream of.
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He boasts three championship crowns and 105 race wins – six of which have come at the Bathurst 1000.
But for all of his success, Lowndes has no problem when it comes to nominating his highlight.
It was winning the Bathurst 1000 in 2006 when the victors were presented with the Peter Brock Trophy for the first time.
Partnering with Jamie Whincup, Lowndes held off a charging Rick Kelly in the closing laps to win by 0.5868 seconds.
Brock, who died in September 2006, had a strong bond with Lowndes. It made the victory one he will always cherish.
“It is probably the most emotional race that I’ve had to do and it will always be the best victory that I’ll ever achieve. There’s no doubt that for me, it’s a race I look back on and am really proud to get through that side of it,” Lowndes said.
“I remember the parade lap from that morning, the minute of silence to going right through to the other side which was obviously getting the chequered flag. For me it was an amazing day.
“It was really a massive day. We knew going into it that it was obviously going to be a big, big week, knowing the passing of Peter had happened prior.
“We went there with respect, but there was also the sense of trying to keep all that in check, keep focused on making the race car fast.
“We were able to do that and we had a little bit of luck, which is something you need there over the course of the day at Bathurst. To have that battle with Rick Kelly at the end of the day was amazing.
“We knew why we were at Bathurst that year and ’06 will always be my most memorable win. Having our name engraved on the Brock Trophy for the first time was quite special.”
Since then Lowndes has won the Peter Brock Trophy on another four occasions – in 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2015 – which is more times than any other driver.
This year Lowndes is hungry to find another success story given the Bathurst 1000 doubles as the 10th anniversary of the Peter Brock Trophy.
If he and co-driver Steven Richards can claim the chequered flag, Lowndes would move to equal second with Jim Richards on the list of all-time Great Race winners.
That list is topped by Brock with nine victories.
“There is no doubt that we will go there this year with high hopes given it’s the passing of 10 years and the passing of Peter,” Lowndes said.
“His is a record that has stood for such a long time and regardless of whoever does get there, or if the get there, Brocky will still always be the King of the Mountain.”