Lowndes lifts the cover off the new Team Vortex V8 Supercar
Racing legend Craig Lowndes has today unveiled the new TeamVortex livery ahead of its debut in the 2016 V8 Supercars Championship.
The formation of TeamVortex is a natural extension of the strong partnership between Lowndes, leading fuel supplier Caltex Australia and the highly-successful team at Triple Eight Race Engineering.
Lowndes, a six-time Bathurst winner and Caltex brand ambassador for almost a decade, is set to take the wheel of the number 888 Holden Commodore VF, with Steven Richards joining him as co-driver for the third consecutive year.
The pair claimed a memorable win at last year’s Bathurst 1000 and between them have now won The Great Race an incredible 10 times.
Caltex Australia’s Executive General Manager Commercial, Bruce Rosengarten, said the iconic fuel brand was proud to unveil the TeamVortex V8 Supercar with Lowndes behind the wheel.
“Caltex has backed Craig for almost a decade and we’ve got a strong history supporting Australian motorsports.
“Vortex is the most popular premium fuels brand in Australia, so we’re excited to be extending our partnership with Australia’s most successful V8 driver.
“TeamVortex is the beginning of a new chapter, further demonstrating our continued dedication and commitment to the V8 community. For our customers, look out for exciting new promotions with Vortex premium fuel as we celebrate Craig and TeamVortex taking to the track in 2016,” Rosengarten said.
Lowndes said he could not wait to hit the track and test out the new-look car.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better team around me heading into the 2016 V8 Supercars Championship,” Lowndes said.
“Both the team and I have a brilliant relationship with Caltex, so I couldn’t have been happier when I found out I’ll be driving the TeamVortex Holden.
“I’m really looking forward to getting on track and getting the 2016 season started at the Clipsal 500. Hopefully Steve Richards and I will be able to bring home the Bathurst trophy again later in the year, and really give Caltex and all our other sponsors a debut season to remember.”
Triple Eight veteran Ludo Lacroix will be engineering Lowndes as he shoots for his fourth series title.
The Frenchman joined the team in 1999 and was instrumental in leading them to category domination in the British Touring Car Championship.
Having moved to Australia with Triple Eight in 2003, Lacroix has been influential in shaping not just the engineering direction of the team, but of the sport as a whole.
Together, he and Lowndes will be a formidable pairing.
Meanwhile, Andrew Simpson takes on the role of team manager and John McGregor moves across to TeamVortex as data engineer.
Triple Eight Team Owner and Managing Director Roland Dane said he was pleased to further expand the team.
“We’re delighted to have Caltex step up for 2016 and beyond with TeamVortex,” Dane said.
“The partnership, which has grown and strengthened over the last decade, has allowed us to build engineering expertise here for the betterment of the Triple Eight team, giving us a unique opportunity to give Craig a platform to continue to rack up race wins.
“We’re all greatly looking forward to what we’re sure will be a tremendous debut year for TeamVortex and we’re proud to have the support of an excellent group of team partners around us.”
Triple Eight and Caltex are thrilled to have a strong group of team partners on board, including MTAA Super, GearWrench, IVECO, O’Brien Glass, Holden and Red Bull, to continue to bring great innovation to Australian motorsport and make
TeamVortex a force to be reckoned with both on track and off.
ENDS
About TeamVortex
This year marks the launch of TeamVortex, a natural extension of the existing Caltex partnership with Triple Eight and the current Bathurst 1000 King of the Mountain, Craig Lowndes. Lowndes, a six-time Bathurst winner and Caltex brand ambassador for nearly a decade, will officially take the wheel of the new TeamVortex Holden Commodore ahead of a promising 2016 season.
Caltex Australia
With a commitment to Australia tracing back to 1900, Caltex has grown to become the nation’s outright leader in transport fuel. Caltex supplies one-third of all Australia’s transport fuels and is unique in this market for being the only major brand listed on the Australian Securities Exchange. Through its comprehensive supply chain, Caltex has forged its reputation for providing safe and reliable supply of high-quality fuels to a diverse number of customer segments, including retail, mining, agriculture, aviation, transport, small-to-medium enterprises, marine, automotive and government. Caltex is also one of Australia’s largest convenience retailers and franchisors, with over 85% of its stores operated by franchisees.
Media contact
Ben Wicks, 0422 692 989, [email protected]
Jess Theakstone, 0451 079 196, [email protected]
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