Australian motorsport legend Craig Lowndes will join Fox Sports Supercars commentary team from 2019 for its LIVE and ad break free coverage of every session of the Virgin Australia Supercars Championship.
The reigning Bathurst 1000 champion will provide expert comments exclusively to Fox Sports in his first season in retirement as a full-time Supercars driver, coupled with his role as co-driver for Red Bull Holden Racing Team in the PIRTEK Enduro Cup this season.
This year will again see Fox Sports provide live coverage of every practice, qualifying and race of the Australia Supercars Championship, FIA Formula 1 World Championship and MotoGP plus every round of the World Superbike Championship and FIA Formula E Championship.
Head of Fox Sports, Peter Campbell, said:
“Craig Lowndes is an icon in Australian motorsport and we are absolutely thrilled he will be joining the Fox Sports team, alongside Jess Yates and Mark Skaife, to call all of the Supercars action this season.
“As the defending Bathurst Champion and a Supercars veteran Craig will be able to provide first hand insights and analysis of what it takes to win behind the wheel, which combined with Fox Sports’ comprehensive LIVE coverage of every practice, qualifying session and race ad break free via broadcast and streaming, will bring our subscribers closer to the action than ever before.”
The seven-time Bathurst 1000 and three-time Supercars Series Champion has a record behind the wheel that speaks for itself and is looking forward to his new role.
“I’m very excited about the season ahead and playing a very different role with the Fox Sports’ Motorsport team to what I’ve been familiar with in my driving career,” Lowndes said.
“There will be both familiar and unfamiliar territory for me this year. We will get the band back together in some ways when I pair up with my old teammate and friend Mark Skaife and I am looking forward to working with a fresh face in Jess Yates, who I’m sure will get the best out of me and I’ll learn a lot from.
“I’m glad that I will still be close to the action and can be a part of this incredible series and look forward to bringing that to all the fans watching from home.”
It’s not all good news however, the arrival of Craig Lowndes has lead Fox Sports to make the decision to cut two-time Bathurst winner Russell Ingall from it’s line-up.
Confirming his axing, Ingall told motorsports website SpeedCafe this week he had been “blindsided” by the decision;
“It’s a bit of a shame because I passed up other opportunities late last year because I was planning on doing the same thing.
“Fox saw the highest ratings in the sport in 2018 since taking over the rights to televise Supercars so all the indications were everyone was more than happy with the format.
“I’m a realist and can only assume that there were cost cutting factors involved, and probably from both sides of the fence, the Fox Sports side and from Supercars.
“But I just find it very strange that you would mess with a format that’s been working so well.
Co-Creator and Editor of the TV Blackbox website, Kevin Perry is an experienced media commentator focused on TV Production, Consumer Tech, SVOD & Sports Broadcasting.
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