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Lowndes: Kiwis spurred on by home advantage

01 Sep 2022
'We’ve seen the Kiwi guys, they lift'
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Craig Lowndes says local drivers enjoy a "home advantage" at Pukekohe, which will host its final Supercars round.

The ITM Auckland SuperSprint will be the last ever Supercars round at Pukekohe Park Raceway.

The famed Auckland circuit will cease motorsport operations in 2023.

Supercars has, however, committed to racing in New Zealand from next season.

Pukekohe became the first ever international championship venue in 2001.

Of late, Pukekohe has been dominated by local drivers, with Scott McLaughlin and Shane van Gisbergen doing the winning.

It came at a detriment to the likes of Lowndes, who despite his successes, never won a race at Pukekohe.

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Lowndes' chief barrier in the early 2000s at Pukekohe was his Bathurst-winning Greg Murphy.

Murphy, dubbed the 'King of Pukekohe', won the the round in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2005.

McLaughlin and van Gisbergen shared much of the spoils between 2013 and 2019.

Van Gisbergen, Andre Heimgartner and Chris Pither will carry the NZ flag next weekend.

Lowndes, who greatly enjoys the circuit, was sad to see the circuit depart.

However, the Supercars legend expects the hometown heroes to give Pukekohe a farewell to remember.

“It will be sad, because it’s a great race track,” Lowndes told Supercars Trackside.

“It’s really bumpy, you’ve got to get it right.

“That last little sector coming over the bump onto the main straight is important to get right.

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“We’ve seen the Kiwi guys, they lift, it’s a home advantage.”

Van Gisbergen admitted that he is doing his best not to get swept up in the emotion of the event.

"My interest in Supercars started at Pukekohe. I’d love to go out there with a good result,” the series leader said.

"I’m trying not to get too excited, I wanna go there and treat it like any other round.

"I’m trying not to get too caught up in the celebrations. I’m pretty excited to go there."

The forthcoming round will be a test for a third of the field.

Seven drivers in the 25-car field have never raced a main game Supercar at Pukekohe.

Thomas Randle and Broc Feeney recently completed a flying visit of NZ to sample the circuit.

Will Brown raced a Toyota 86 during the 2016 Supercars weekend.

Jack Smith has the most pedigree, winning three Pukekohe races en route to the 2018-19 NZ Touring Cars Championship title.

Brodie Kostecki, Bryce Fullwood and Jake Kostecki will also make their first Supercar starts.

“You’ve got to think of other drivers who have never been there,” Lowndes said.

“There are a raft of drivers we’ve got in this category right now who have never been to New Zealand, let alone Pukekohe.

“It’s going to be great to see young drivers get their head around the circuit.

“It’s going to be difficult to do.”

Supercars will return to New Zealand on September 9-11. Purchase your ITM Auckland SuperSprint tickets now.

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