One thing Brock couldn't prepare Lowndes for

2 years ago 74

Craig Lowndes has been consistently 1 of the astir fashionable drivers successful Supercars for the past 25 years.

After all, 'Lowndesy' was Peter Brock's protege, and erstwhile the brace were teammates successful the mid 1990s, Brocky astir virtually taught Lowndes everything he knows.

One of the keys to Lowndes' longstanding popularity is his patience with fans - it was 1 of the things that made Brocky, Brocky. But sometimes it comes astatine a cost.

Triple Eight Racing part-owner Jess Dane - girl of Roland - recalls a clip Lowndes' popularity astir became excessively overmuch during a contention gathering astatine Sydney Motorsport Park.

"I deliberation it was 2017 oregon '18 ... the mob astir america was conscionable excessively intense. We virtually got picked up by a information defender and thrown successful the backmost of a car," she told Wide World of Sports.

"That's the lone clip I've seen him beryllium truly rattled by fans, due to the fact that it was truthful ... it was astir aggressive."

Brock won 9 Bathursts, portion Lowndes is closing successful connected his grounds with seven.

It was the fans astatine Bathurst that Brocky called his own, and him their own. Now, that honour belongs wholly to Lowndes.

This play helium becomes the archetypal operator successful Supercars past to marque 300 circular starts.

SPOTTERS GUIDE: The 2022 Bathurst 1000 grid

Whenever you spot Lowndes successful the Supercars paddock, he's mobbed. For a while, it was Dane's occupation to wrangle him distant to support him connected clip to his galore appearances.

"Having been the idiosyncratic who spent a batch of years trying to resistance him around, it's frustrating.

"If you request to get determination successful a hurry, you conscionable person to suck it up and beryllium the atrocious feline due to the fact that Craig is Craig - he's ever a bully guy.

"Sometimes you person to beryllium the atrocious feline and archer people, nary much autographs, lone 1 one items to get signed, nary photos, sorry.

"Everyone wants to conscionable Craig and erstwhile you've got 1 100 radical lined up and you've got 1 100 radical who privation to conscionable him, you person to springiness everyone that opportunity.

"Rather than giving 20 radical a agelong clip with him, you person to springiness 1 100 radical a precise abbreviated clip ... that's the mode it is."

As hard arsenic that mightiness beryllium for immoderate fans, Dane believes Lowndes inactive regards them arsenic his people.

"He's retired determination signing due to the fact that helium loves it," she said.

"He learned from Peter Brock that the fans are the astir important portion of this sport. We couldn't marque a concern retired of this athletics without the fans.

"They truly are the immoderate of the astir passionate fans successful the satellite present successful Australia. And, you know, you can't not emotion Craig's smile.

"He makes everybody consciousness similar they're the astir peculiar idiosyncratic astatine the racetrack. So it's hard not to benignant of consciousness that consciousness that aura that helium brings successful the vigor that helium gives each the fans."

There tin beryllium immoderate parallels drawn betwixt the narration shared betwixt Lowndes and his rookie co-driver Declan Fraser, and that betwixt Lowndes and Brock.

Like Lowndes erstwhile helium archetypal came connected the scene, he's a kid fewer cognize overmuch about, and he's moving with 1 of the legends of the sport.

Dane said Fraser is lapping it up.

"I've ne'er seen idiosyncratic enactment arsenic hard arsenic he's been moving successful his audition," she said.

"He's done everything helium tin to larn arsenic overmuch connected disconnected Craig arsenic helium perchance can. There's nary 1 amended to larn from astir here.

"We did a way locomotion Wednesday greeting and helium was asking specified insightful questions and trying to get large proposal connected everything from not lone driving the ZB (Commodore he'll thrust successful the 1000), but driving the VF (Super2 car).

"Even though they're some Holdens, they're precise antithetic successful presumption of downforce, and the handling astir this circuit and however you instrumentality definite corners.

"So it's been a really, truly bully learning acquisition for him, and helium loves each infinitesimal of it. Even the thousands of fans who queue up to chat to Craig ... he's truthful excited and helium conscionable gets to beryllium adjacent to Craig during autograph sessions."

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