IF the boisterous chants of “Lowndesy, Lowndesy” as he stepped on to the podium at Mount Panorama in October were not a dead give away that Craig Lowndes was a fan favourite, then his latest honour certainly is.
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The man who posted a hugely popular Bathurst 1000 win in his last appearance as a full-time Supercars driver was crowned the Sports Personality of the Year at the AIS Sport Performance Awards.
He was one of 14 nominees in that category and was delighted to have been given the nod at the awards night in Sydney.
“To be recognised in this way through the AIS it really is for us, and I say us, Supercars, is really special to be recognised because we are not really known as athletes,” Lowndes, who won what was his seventh Grace Race earlier this year, said.
“But what we go through and what we put our body through, although it may not be running into people like football players … but [like] sitting in an oven at about 60 degrees for about six hours is quite different.”
While Lowndes will continue to race at events such as the Bathurst 12 Hour and Bathurst 1000 even though he has stepped down from full-time driving, there is no doubt 2018 was an emotional season from him. Fans added to that experience.
“There’s no doubt I’ve had a wonderful career and I’ve always said that fans are the backbone of motor racing, because of their support, what they do. They come to race weekends, they support not only the drivers, but the teams, the manufactures,” he said.
“For this just caps off a wonderful year. For what it is, I’m really delighted, this will be high on the memorabilia wall at home, that’s for sure.”
The man who placed second to Lowndes in that vote, Carcoar wheelchair racing star Kurt Fearnley, did not finish the evening empty-handed.
He was voted by fans to have produced the best sporting moment of the year during his final appearance in the green and gold.
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Fearnley not only won the first men’s T54 wheelchair marathon ever staged at a Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast, but he spoke passionately about the integration of para-sport and the disabled community as a whole.
He also became the first para-athlete to carry the Australian flag at the closing ceremony of the Games.
“Right now, we have just finished the best and most inclusive Commonwealth Games that we have ever had,” Fearnley said after the Games.
“Through the medium of sport, that is what our movement represents, hope. Hope that if sport can adjust to include those with disabilities, maybe community can follow.”
