The young guns in V8 Supercars have been doing the category proud, notching up race wins, podiums and ARMOR ALL Pole Positions in recent rounds.

But before the current crop of youngsters, ‘The Kid’ changed the face of the sport and 20 years on, is already one of the greats.

Craig Lowndes debuted at Sandown in 1994, with Brad Jones in a Holden Racing Team VP Commodore – and the V8 Supercar star admits sheer luck was a big part of getting into the category all those years ago.

“It was quite amazing,” Lowndes said of the opportunity.

“I think it was also a bit of luck, to be honest, as well because I think at the time HRT was going to get Rickard Rydell out from the UK and he couldn’t get out, which I suppose put the team in a bit of a position.

“But they rang us up, asked us to do a test day out at Calder Park and basically from that point offered the drive at Sandown, and it was from the Sandown performance that led on to Bathurst as well.”

Jones said he didn’t have any problems with the unknown youngster sharing the car in the enduro, give he had proven to be quick.

Lowndes remembers being comfortable in the car at Sandown, given he had done some driver training at the track.

“I knew the circuit really well – so it wasn’t necessarily trying to learn the track, but more understanding and learning the car, working with the team,” Lowndes said.

“I think my speed wasn’t too bad, but I think over the course of the day, I got more comfortable in the car and obviously got more in tune and the speed came with it.

“For me it was a gradual learning curve over the course of the race – that was my first long distance race that I had done, and for me it was a huge learning curve.”

He and Jones finished fifth, with Ford foes Dick Johnson and John Bowe going on to take the win.

However – that performance led on to Lowndes securing a drive for Bathurst, which was a chaotic, but memorable day. After early dramas, Jones drove the car from dead last to within striking distance and handed over to Lowndes to take it home. He snatched the lead for a lap and a half – but it wasn’t to be for the duo, with Bowe and Johnson continuing their winning streak.

For Lowndes, though, it was enough to get noticed.

“The Bathurst one was just a mistake – Brad was supposed to be in the car at the end, but we’re only allowed to do a certain amount of hours. Brad was out of time which meant they had to put me back in the car for the closing stages of Bathurst.

“So firstly, it wasn’t planned, but for me it became the perfect opportunity to stay out of trouble … I was struggling, to be honest. But then right at the end of the race, having the Safety Car come out, having a great battle with Bowe with a handful of laps to go, and leading the race for a lap and a half – no one expected me to be able to do that at the time, being a rookie.”

The rest is history. Lowndes drove for HRT full-time in 1996, won his first Championship – and now, almost 20 years later, is looking for another one with Red Bull. Jones’ team, of course, is one of threats to the title, with Lockwood’s Fabian Coulthard not far behind.

But regardless of how this season plays out, Jones believes his former teammate has done the sport proud.

“I think he surprised everyone in his last stint (at Bathurst) with the pace that he had,” Jones said.

“He’s grown into being currently the most successful V8 Supercar driver who is competing – when he retires, he’ll be like Brock or Johnson.

“I was just a small part of very early piece of his career and it worked out pretty good for both of us, I think… We went to Bathurst, finished second, and it was a great start to his career and an important part of mine.

“I felt that day I drove the car really well, gave it to him in a great spot, and that’s where we finished – it was a fantastic result for us both.”

Lowndes is looking to equal the late, great Peter Brock’s record of nine wins in the annual pre-Bathurst endurance race this weekend, as he tackles the Wilson Security Sandown 500 with Steven Richards.