Craig Lowndes is "retiring"!

[Pickles]

Craig has announced his retirement from full time driving.
I don't think it was his own decision, and I reckon He thought, and so do I, that He was good enough to continue, still being at least the equal of most other drivers in the series.
Pickles.

[Smitty]

as Lowndes said (from his website)
Craig Lowndes announces retirement from full-time driving

Craig Lowndes will retire from full-time driving at the end of the 2018 Virgin Australia Supercars Championship season.

Although Lowndes’ contract to drive for Triple Eight Race Engineering is in place to the end the 2019 season, the decision to step back from full-time duties behind the wheel was reached mutually between him and Triple Eight Managing Director Roland Dane.

The Autobarn Lowndes Racing driver has achieved a win and three podium finishes so far in 2018 and currently sits fourth in the championship. It is important to both Lowndes and the team that he finishes his full-time driving career on a high and these strong results so far this season have been representative of this.

“I’ve always said there are two key factors keeping me racing and those are my motivation to keep getting up and doing what I love and my competitiveness, and for me, nothing has changed. But at the same time I want to make sure I finish my last full-time season with some strong results in the bag and after this year’s results so far Roland and I came to the decision between us that this will be my last full season behind the wheel,” said Lowndes.

[jkhsv]

https://www.supercars.com/videos/cha...?sf193220046=1

[LSExpress]

Personally I think Craig’s exit will be a massive loss to an already dwindling category. He is a fantastic driver with a huge personality and lots of time for his fans.

[markost]

Have always associated Craig Lowndes with the Peter Brock and Mark Skaife HRT era. Seems like a changing of the guard and the loss of another great talent, whatever the politics.

[skaifeman]

Big, big news. Certainly a changing of the guard.
Word that Roland wants the Harvey Norman money with Simona and also take the positive of Lowndes pairing for the enduros.

@LSExpress - dwindling category is probably a topic for another day, but I do disagree. Very blanket statement.

[rodders188]

So sad.