Craig Lowndes has tackled a lot of Australia’s best races from the Bathurst 1000 to the Bathurst 12 Hour. In June, he’ll add the nation’s high off-road occasion to his résumé when he tackles the Finke Desert Race in a Chevrolet Silverado ZR2 Off-Highway Racer with Dale Moscatt as his navigator.
Whereas Lowndes is clearly famend for his Supercars Championship profession as a three-time champion with seven Bathurst 1000 victories, he’s not unfamiliar with off-road racing. In 2010, he dabbled in rally raid for the primary time when he entered the now-defunct Australasian Safari. Regardless of being new to to the self-discipline, he and his Holden Colorado scored the general win. Lowndes returned to the occasion in 2011 however retired following an early rollover whereas main.
A decade later, he was invited to the Finke Desert Race to take part within the Prologue. Mark Dutton, the supervisor of Lowndes’ Triple Eight Race Engineering Supercars staff, served as his co-driver in an SSV. After all, 2024 shall be his first time racing the Finke in its entirety.
He has additionally expressed curiosity in difficult the Dakar Rally, although such a possibility by no means got here to fruition. Within the meantime, Finke will scratch his off-road itch as a race that has lengthy been a bucket listing merchandise. This want escalated when Common Motors unveiled the Silverado ZR2 Off-Highway Racer as an idea automotive in December 2022, which Lowndes rapidly pressed for the corporate to manifest into an precise competitor.
The Silverado ZR2 is primarily utilized in American desert racing by Chad Corridor, whose staff maintains an in depth manufacturing facility partnership with Chevrolet that permits him to additionally take a look at components that seem on the manufacturing autos. Former Supercars staff Kelly Racing has an identical alliance with Ford Motor Firm to discipline the Ford Ranger Raptor in Australia and America, culminating in Brad Lovell profitable the Manufacturing 4WD class on the 2023 Finke Desert Race.
Ought to the Ranger Raptor return for 2024, Lowndes’ personal effort means a brand new chapter within the longstanding Common Motors versus Ford rivalry. Certainly, GM is pulling out all of the stops for Lowndes as his Off-Highway Racer is ready in conjunction by Common Motors Australia and New Zealand and GM Specialty Automobiles. Corridor Racing was additionally concerned in creating its suspension.
“It’s been some time since I gained the Australian Safari, which was manner again in 2010, that is going to be an important take a look at,” mentioned Lowndes. “I drive a Silverado ZR2 day-after-day and frequently put it by means of its paces off-road on weekends, in addition to towing our caravan yearly to the Bathurst 1000. It covers spectacular distances and handles Australian circumstances so simply, now we’re out to show its off-road functionality.”
Moscatt has in depth co-driving expertise within the Australian Off-Highway Championship, Dakar Rally, and World Rally Championship. He normally calls the photographs for Glenn Brinkman, who completed runner-up within the AORC’s SXS standings in 2022 and third in 2023 earlier than taking over the Dakar Rally in January; they completed twenty-sixth total within the Challenger class.
The 2024 Finke Desert Race is scheduled for 7–10 June.
