the BTCC Volvo sister team within TWR was to join the team for Bathurst. Rydell was forced to stay home for family reasons and after his impressive debut at Sandown, HRT team manager Jeff Grech had no hesitation in giving Rydell's seat to the young Lowndes. After a gruelling double-stint by Jones, Lowndes began the final stint of the race as the premier challenger to the DJR Falcon of John Bowe which had dominated the race. With eleven laps to go Lowndes stunned the touring car establishment overtaking Bowe on the outside of Griffins Bend in a move that made him a household name. Bowe retook a lap later and Lowndes was forced to back off in the closing laps but second was an impressive achievement for a rookie driver. Lowndes won fans in pit lane when he later admitted that his passing move on Bowe was simply a case of missing his brake marker. A year later Lowndes qualified on pole for the Bathurst 1000, only for his Holden Racing Team Commodore to DNF early on in the race when both HRT cars experienced oil pressure problems and engine failure during the race. HRT had seen enough however, and for the 1996 season he replaced Tomas Mezera full-time in the team. At his first attempt, Lowndes won the championship and also won both the Sandown and Bathurst races with teammate Greg Murphy. His Bathurst 1000 victory made him the youngest winner of the race at the time and with Murphy, the youngest ever driver pairing to win the Bathurst 1000. Formula 3000 Lowndes left Australia and went to Europe to further his open wheeler racing career, by competing with the RSM Marko Team in the 1997 International Formula 3000 Championship as teammate to Colombian Juan Pablo Montoya. He was comprehensively beaten by his teammate, which resulted in his failure to find a budget to compete a second year. Australian return On his return to Australia, Lowndes again won the 1997 Sandown 500 for HRT, partnered by New Zealander Greg Murphy. Together with back to back race wins at Sandown in the enduros. In 1998, he resumed his racing seat with the Holden Racing Team, alongside new teammate Mark Skaife. Lowndes went on to win his second consecutive Championship, although the premature debut of the VT series Commodore would cruel his Bathurst campaign. In the first full year of campaigning