Brown to race as #888 with Lowndes’ blessing

After making the request to Managing Director and Team Principal Jamie Whincup and speaking with previous Triple Eight teammate Craig Lowndes, who has raced with #888 on his car for the last twenty years, Red Bull Ampol Racing Team’s Will Brown will compete with the iconic number on his car for the 2026 Supercars Championship season with Lowndes’ blessing.

Triple Eight announced in January 2025 they will join forces with Ford Racing as the manufacturer’s Supercars Homologation Team from 2026 onwards, a move that will see the team race brand new Ford Mustang GTs driven by Broc Feeney as #88 and now Will Brown as #888.

 “This number is iconic to the team. In motor racing and in sports sponsors come and go, liveries change, kits change. But this is Triple Eight Race Engineering, that’s the number and it’s iconic with the success that comes out of this workshop,” former driver, Triple Eight Race Engineering, Craig Lowndes, said.

“When I first arrived I was lucky enough to carry the number and to see the legacy of the number continue on, it’s an iconic number for the sport, and it’s an iconic number for the team, so it’s going to be really great to see the car running around with that number on the side.

“I know Will pretty well, to have him carry on that legacy I think that he’ll do it proud. He’s obviously a great young talent which does sound strange already being a Supercars Champion, he’s a proven young talent.”

“I think the new change of manufacturer, the new change of car, the new change of number, it’s all a good fit and I think at the start of the season he’ll come out punching.”

Brown can’t wait for the season to get underway with this iconic number adorning his brand-new Ford Mustang.

“It’s cool to know I’m going into 2026 with such an iconic number on my car. Obviously there’s a lot of history there, I’ve watched the #888 race around for years now ever since I started watching the sport,” he said.

“For me there wasn’t a question mark, I’ve had two great years already with the team – one awesome year with the Championship win and one great year last year fighting all the way to Adelaide, so it meant a lot to me to start the conversation about 2026 and my race number.

“With Craig leaving the team he thought it best that the #888 number stay with Triple Eight, he was really keen for it to stay here. That was a really easy conversation to have knowing how much it meant to him. I’m really excited to go racing with that number.”

The first look at the Red Bull Ampol Racing team’s inaugural Ford Mustang GT of the Gen 3 era will be at ‘Ignition On’, a free to attend fan event at Geelong on Saturday February 7.