Red Bull Ampol Racing has announced Will Brown will take over the number 888 after previous custodian Craig Lowndes has given his blessing.
Brown will take over the number 888 more than 20-years after Lowndes took Triple Eight Race Engineering’s first victory in the Supercars Championship as a Ford team.
Returning to Ford for the first time in 16-years, Triple Eight Race Engineering will reunite the 888 with the Blue Oval.
Lowndes achieved 110 race wins and six Bathurst victories during the course of a 20-year relationship with Triple Eight Race Engineering, but has elected to stay as part of Chevrolet Racing as he joins Team 18 for the endurance events.
Brown has already been racing under the number in GT World Challenge Australia powered by AWS events for the last few years,so made a request to managing director and team principal Jamie Whincup to use the 888 in Supercars.
Having raced with the number for two decades, Lowndes has passed on the number to Brown.
“This number is iconic to the team. In motor racing and in sports sponsors come and go, liveries change, kits change. But this is Triple Eight Race Engineering, that’s the number and it’s iconic with the success that comes out of this workshop,” said Lowndes.
“When I first arrived I was lucky enough to carry the number and to see the legacy of the number continue on, it’s an iconic number for the sport, and it’s an iconic number for the team, so it’s going to be really great to see the car running around with that number on the side.”
“I know Will pretty well, to have him carry on that legacy I think that he’ll do it proud. He’s obviously a great young talent which does sound strange already being a Supercars Champion,
he’s a proven young talent.”
“I think the new change of manufacturer, the new change of car, the new change of number, it’s all a good fit and I think at the start of the season he’ll come out punching.”
Brown is not taking this honour lightly and is excited to continue the history of the iconic number.
“It’s cool to know I’m going into 2026 with such an iconic number on my car,” Brown said.
“Obviously there’s a lot of history there, I’ve watched the #888 race around for years now ever since I started watching the sport.”
“For me there wasn’t a question mark, I’ve had two great years already with the team – one awesome year with the Championship win and one great year last year fighting all the way to Adelaide, so it meant a lot to me to start the conversation about 2026 and my race number.”
“With Craig leaving the team he thought it best that the #888 number stay with Triple Eight, he was really keen for it to stay here. That was a really easy conversation to have knowing how much it meant to him. I’m really excited to go racing with that number.”
Red Bull Ampol Racing will reveal its 2026 livery at its Ignition On event at Geelong on February 7, which is free to attend for all fans.