
HE'S no longer a full-time member of the Supercars grid, but Craig Lowndes' expectations for this year's Bathurst 1000 are the same as always - he wants a podium.
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It was revealed on Sunday that Lowndes will make his 29th consecutive Bathurst 1000 start behind the wheel of a Triple Eight Race Engineering wildcard entry.
Lowndes, who will be 48 come race day, will partner Bathurst 1000 rookie Declan Fraser in the iconic enduro. He's already made his goal clear.
"My expectation is to be on the podium somewhere," Lowndes said.
"Really for me knowing the race, knowing what it needs to go the from start to finish, knowing what you need to do physically, mentally.
"Declan has shown some great speed and composure in his Super2 career - two traits you need to win Bathurst. We have every intention of being right in the mix and giving the fans something to cheer about."
Lowndes currently holds the record for the most Bathurst 1000 podiums - his tally stands at 14 - while the Supercars legend is still a genuine chance of equalling the record nine Great Race wins of the late, great Peter Brock.
Though it remains to be seen if he can tick that box, by lining up on the grid at Bathurst he will carve out his own a piece of history.
He will become the first driver in the history of the Australian Touring Cars Championship/Supercars series to record 300 round starts.
Given he is an honourary Bathurst citizen and the Mount is a place that means so much to Lowndes, there is no more fitting track for him to bring up the milestone.
"It's no secret the affinity I have with Bathurst and Mt Panorama, it's the race track that means more to me than any other place," he said.
Fraser, a man who previously drove for Bathurst team Anderson Motorsport, is naturally excited that he'll make his debut alongside a legend of the sport.
"I grew up watching Lowndesy at Bathurst like every other kid did, so to see my name on the side of this car alongside his heading to Bathurst is super special, surreal even," he said.
"I'm excited to get everything underway and see how it all pans out.
"My aim is to hone my skills over the next few months to make sure I'm fully prepared by the time I get to Bathurst. We get a couple of extra test days being a wildcard entry, which will be good for myself to get familiar with the ZB Commodore.
"This is an amazing opportunity that's been presented to me, and I'm going to grab it with both hands."
This year's Great Race, which also includes the wildcard entry of Bathurst driver Michael Anderson, runs from October 6-9.
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