GM vows to fight for Craig Lowndes

The future of the seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner has been one of the hot topics to come out of the bombshell Triple Eight/Ford news.

Lowndes has been a loyal part of the Triple Eight squad since 2005 and jumped the manufacturer divide with the team ahead of the 2010 season when it moved from Ford to Holden.

This time, however, the equation is less simple.

Back then Lowndes was a full-time Triple Eight driver making the move with the team a logical choice.

Now his Triple Eight outings are limited to the two endurance races as part of the Supercheap Auto-backed wildcard program.

Outside of that he has strong ambassadorial ties to GM and continues to be the pin-up face for the likes of Chevrolet Racing and the GM-owned AC Delco business.

Triple Eight boss Jamie Whincup made it clear at the time of the Ford announcement that he wants Lowndes to continue with the wildcard program into the Ford era.

Now, GM’s head Aussie honcho Jess Bala says she’ll fight to keep Lowndes racing Chevrolets beyond this year.

“We’ve had a really long standing relationship with Craig and he’s a huge asset to the team,” said Bala.

“We absolutely love working with him. So yes, we definitely want him to stay with us.

“We understand he’s obviously got to assess his options, but we’ll keep those conversations going and try and do everything we can to keep him.”

Lowndes is yet to speak publicly following Triple Eight’s announcement, but had declared earlier this year a desire to continue racing beyond his 2025 contract.