Simonsen set the fastest time in yesterday’s three practice sessions, posting a 2:08.5414. He was just eight hundredths of a second quicker than second placed Lee Holdsworth, in the Erebus Mercedes SLS.

Third fastest was Craig Baird in the Clearwater Racing Ferrari, a further two hundredths behind.

The Dane, who has plenty of experience around Mount Panorama in both GT cars and V8 Supercars, is pleased with the pace of the car so far.

“Obviously the team has had a full year of GT racing and we learned a lot more about the car. We proved we were fast last year and from Ferrari’s side there has been a lot of updates which will hopefully keep us going for 12 hours,” Simonsen said.

“In the other 12 hour and 24 hour races the Ferrari has competed in, it has proved to be a very reliable car.

“If we continue with the speed we had last year, and a bit of luck, hopefully the race could be ours this year.”

Outright lap speed is important this year as qualifying has reverted back to fastest individual time earns pole, as opposed to last year, where the times of each driver were added together.

Simonsen has a history of quick laps here in the Ferrari, after setting a GT record of 2:04.9560 in the Ferrari at the end of 2011 and then earning the quickest lap during last year’s race as well.

His new team-mate Mika Salo has a way to go before he is challenging his team-mate for lap records but he thoroughly enjoyed his first day in the car.

The other two drivers in the Maranello team, John Bowe and Peter Edwards, were both here last year. While Bowe has a wealth of knowledge of the Mount Panorama track, Edwards is less experienced but gained a lot from last year.

“Every time in the car I am able to get on the pedal a little bit earlier, deal with a bit of wiggle here and there and it’s just track time in the car,” he said.

Heat looks set to be the other factor after temperatures exceeded 35 degrees on the opening day of the race. Today is expected to reach as high as 33, although showers are forecast for later in the afternoon.

Baird’s Clearwater team-mate Matt Griffin is hoping for cooler weather, although he doesn’t want to see a repeat of last year’s wet race in which there was standing water at almost all parts of the track.

“I don’t know whether I’d rather be sliding around in the wet or boiling inside the car,” the Irishman joked.

“Last year was tough, it was one of the toughest races I’ve ever done, so I hope it stays dry. I wouldn’t mind the temperature dropping a few notches, though.”

Two qualifying sessions will be held today: a one-and-a-half-hour session from 7.45am and a half-hour session from 1.40pm.