The two-time winner of the GT3 classic won’t be among the names to feature on a full field entry list to be released later today.
It was announced last September that Lowndes, 51, has been replaced in Scott Taylor Motorsport’s Mercedes-AMG by Chaz Mostert.
Having not received a call-up to the Johor Corvette line-up, Lowndes told Speedcafe he’ll miss being part of the event.
“I would have loved to have been part of it, it was just that this year there was no real seat for me, so I’ll be at home watching it on TV,” he said.
“Scotty made a decision to put Chaz in the car, hopefully they go really well.
“Knowing the Corvette was coming out I poked around a little bit to see who was coming and who was driving it, but the JMR guys are running that.
“Other than that I didn’t really chase anything to get a seat. This year was already going to be hectic starting at Team 18 and everything else.”
Lowndes has a long history with the 12 Hour.
The 1994 event marked his first ever drive at Mount Panorama, taking a class win aboard a Nissan Pulsar SSS in what proved a recce mission for his Great Race heroics that October.
Lowndes’ star power was then instrumental in building the race’s reputation upon its switch to GT3 rules in 2011, initially driving factory-backed Audi R8s.
His two outright victories came in Triple Eight-assisted Maranello Motorsport Ferrari efforts in 2014 and ’17 – the former in a thrilling finish with Lowndes at the wheel.
Recent starts have come aboard a variety of McLaren, Porsche and Mercedes entries, with an early crash in 2025 ultimately marking a sad end to his four-year STM stint.
Unperturbed, Lowndes declared he hopes to be back in the race in 2027.
“I’d love to get back there next year, that’s for sure,” he said. “It’s a race I enjoy, I love that style of racing and always have.”
Lowndes will return to Bathurst for the Great Race in October as part of the now Team 18-run wildcard which he’ll also co-drive at The Bend in September.
While his GM connections have led to outings in the TA2 Muscle Car Series and Finke Desert Race in recent years, Lowndes said he currently has no firm competition plans outside of Supercars.
Lowndes is expected to continue as a pundit on Supercars’ TV broadcasts this season, which begins with the Sydney 500 on February 20-22.
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