Lowndes leads next gen at The Bend

Seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner Craig Lowndes was hoping to return to the cockpit at The Bend on Friday, where he planned to complete laps alongside young gun Bayley Hall ahead of their wildcard assault on Mount Panorama.

Team 18 was among six teams taking part in the test day at the South Australian circuit, as teams prepare for the The Bend 500, scheduled for September 11-13, the opening round of the 2026 Enduro Cup.

The test – which was preparation for Hall’s wildcard drive at the upcoming Ipswich round of the Championship – was expected to mark the first time Lowndes and Hall had driven together in the Team 18 wildcard they will share at Bathurst, continuing Lowndes’ role in helping develop the next generation of Supercars talent.

Lowndes was allowed 10 laps of testing under Supercars rules; however, an engine gremlin saw Team 18’s track time cut short with Hall only completing around 20 laps while Lowndes ended up spending the day mentoring from the garage.

For Lowndes, the opportunity to counsel Hall has particular significance, recalling the guidance he received from the late Peter Brock early in his own career.

“Peter Brock was my mentor. He sat me down at Bathurst in ’94 and gave me the key points that turned my race around,” Lowndes said.

“It’s full circle for me – to give back the knowledge that he gave me.”

Hall was equally enthusiastic about the milestone, admitting seeing his name on the windscreen made the reality of becoming a Supercars driver sink in.

“They’d already put the HALL up on the front windscreen (before I arrived), and I saw that – and that six-year-old kid that always wanted to be a Supercars driver has finally gotten there,” Hall said.

“Craig’s done a few more laps in the Camaro than I have, so I’m asking the right questions and soaking it up like a sponge.”

Last year Lowndes shared the Supercheap Auto wildcard entry with youngster Zach Bates, who is now competing as a full-time rookie.

Bates (Matt Stone Racing), Rylan Gray (Dick Johnson Racing), Jackson Walls (Triple Eight), and Jayden Ojeda (PremiAir Racing) were also at the test as rookies, while Walkinshaw TWG Racing’s Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood rounded out the drivers at the South Australian circuit as they gave Toyota’s new engine shakedown.

The test also gave drivers valuable running on The Bend’s West Circuit, which will host the 500-kilometre race over 147 laps.

Lowndes believes the shorter configuration should produce plenty of action at The Bend 500 in September.

“The long straight is great for slipstreaming, especially that braking zone into turn one,” he said.

“That’s going to be entertaining.”

One further rookie combination, Jobe Stewart and Jarrod Hughes, is scheduled to test at The Bend on August 31, completing preparations ahead of The Bend 500 and the start of the Enduro Cup.