From the time he burst on the scene with a thrilling drive in his first Bathurst 1000 in 1994, Lowndes has been a fan favourite.

He began his Bathurst career as a protégé of King of the Mountain Peter Brock and, inevitably, the comparisons started immediately.

But Lowndes has lived up to the expectations more than most drivers could ever have dreamed to.

He has won the Bathurst 100 six times (behind only Brock’s nine and Jim Richards’ seven) and been a shining example for his peers.

He is articulate and intelligent, and enjoyed a career of more than two decades without a hint of scandal.

The Bathurst community has watched Lowndes grow from a 20-year-old tyro into a 44-year-old father and family man.

We have seen him switch allegiances from Holden to Ford and back again, and watched him barely choke back tears as he held aloft the first Peter Brock Trophy just weeks after his good friend and mentor’s death in 2006.

All the while he has been an ambassador for his sport and a passionate advocate for Bathurst.

The Western Advocate first proposed he be made an honorary citizen back in 2012 and his claims to that honour have only grown since then.

And there could be no more fitting time for our wish to finally be granted than during Lowndes’ final Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 next month.

But while Lowndes has been generous in his praise for Bathurst in accepting honorary citizenship, the award is also an honour for our city.

All Bathurstians should be proud that someone who is feted as a hero by race fans in every town and city across Australia would so readily accept this invitation to be forever one of us.

Craig Lowndes owes Bathurst nothing, and yet he continues to give.

He will be the city’s sixth honorary citizen to come from a racing background and will always be one of the most popular.

We’ve always considered him to be one of us, but as a community we look forward to the ceremony next month that will finally make it official.