Seven-time Bathurst winner and Supercars legend Craig Lowndes has confirmed he will contest a second round of the Comiskey Mining Services Motorsport Australia Off Road Championship, locking himself in for this month’s Loveday 400 alongside established navigator Dale Moscatt.
Fresh from their Production 4×4 Class victory at last month’s 50th Tatts Finke Desert Race, Lowndes and Moscatt confirmed the entry on their social channels on Friday evening. They will contest the challenging Loveday event aboard a Can-Am Maverick R owned and prepared by Tony and Jodie Whateley, the owners of the South Australian facility.
“Stoked to announce that Craig Lowndes and I will be racing the Loveday 4×4 Adventure Park Can-Am Maverick R at the next round of the AORC,” Moscatt posted.
“Come and watch the racing, camp with the crews, sit and watch the big jumps from the bar and be apart (sic) of the atmosphere at this amazing event.”
There is very little left for Lowndes to achieve as far as circuit racing goes, having risen to the loftiest heights of motorsport in Australia. However, the 52-year-old is revelling in a new chapter of off road, having now contested Finke twice, as well as several Australian Safaris in the past.
In recent weeks Lowndes has been busy building a huge motocross track at his home in a clear indication he is enjoying more time in the dirt.
“We had a fantastic win at Finke and I’m really enjoying this off road caper,” Lowndes said.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Tony and Jodie for giving Dale and I the opportunity to jump straight into their Can-Am Maverick R for the next round of the AORC.
“We’re very mindful that it’s Tony’s own race vehicle, but he’s a racer through and through, so he wants us to enjoy ourselves, put on a show for the fans and see what we can achieve.
“Loveday has been a fantastic venue for us each time we’ve tested there and I’m sure it’s going to be an exciting challenge to race there.”
Whateley’s Maverick R will offer an entirely different experience for Lowndes and Moscatt, who have spent most of their time recently in a circa 3.0-tonne Chevrolet 1500 pick-up racing in the AORC Production class.
Although it typically favours Trophy Trucks – reflected in the class dominating the top three at last year’s event – Loveday can be a happy hunting ground for the SXS category too. Last year Glen Ackroyd steered his way to fourth outright in muddy, treacherous conditions, while eventual 2025 SXS champion Lachlan Bailey snared seventh outright at Loveday, and Northern Territory racer Daniel Challen 10th.
Moscatt is one of Australia’s most experienced navigators across rally and off road disciplines, and says he has been impressed with Lowndes’ ability in the dirt.
“It’s very different to circuit racing because communication between driver and navigator is critical. We’ve spent a lot of time refining our pace notes and our in-car communication during both reconnaissance and race conditions,” Moscatt said.
“The pace notes are definitely helping accelerate Craig’s development in this discipline and he’s doing an awesome job.”
Although Lowndes will arrive at Loveday with minimal seat time in Whateley’s Maverick R, he’s not a total stranger. While he and Moscatt were testing the Chevrolet at Loveday in the lead-up to Finke, Lowndes did get some time in the passenger seat.
“I had the opportunity to ride with Jodie at Loveday a few months ago and was blown away by the capability of the car,” he said.
“It responds brilliantly to driver inputs and handles the bumps and whoops exceptionally well.
“I’ll take a measured approach early on, but from everything I’ve seen and heard, this platform gives me confidence we’re going to have a lot of fun at Loveday.”
Lowndes and Moscatt will be given a pretty good gauge of their raw speed at Loveday, with a huge field of SXS entries including in-form drivers such as championship leader Ackroyd and defending champion Bailey.
Lowndes said he’s acutely aware of what’s he’s coming up against.
“From what I’ve seen and what Dale has told me from his previous races there, the Loveday 400 never gives you an easy day,” he said.
“Our goal is simple, race smart, keep learning and give ourselves every opportunity to be there at the finish.”
