TWO years ago when Craig Woods got a chance to race at Mount Panorama, his weekend ended prematurely after a crash saw his Aussie Racing Cars entry written off.

Though his feelings at the time were ones of frustration and disappointment, he can now put that incident to good use.

It will serve as motivation for him to conquer the famous race track as he returns in his Aussie Racing Car as part of the Bathurst 1000 support category program.

Back in 2012, Woods made his first foray into the national series which features half-scale, motorcycle engine powered racing cars.

That year the series was included on the Bathurst Motor Festival's April program, giving the Penrith resident a chance to compete at Mount Panorama.

The rookie, who had a background in karting, started well enough as he improved six spots on his qualifying effort to place 13th in the opening race.

He went one better in his Ford entry for race two later that afternoon, but on Sunday Woods' weekend came to a halt.

A rival made contact with his car and caused him to crash on turn two after completing just two laps. So extensive was the damage, Woods was no chance of contesting the fourth race of the round.

"I raced at Bathurst in 2012, it was great to drive there but I had some bad luck, I ended up crashing in race three and writing my car off," he said.

"I had been running about top 10 the whole weekend before that, but that is racing. Hopefully I can make up for it this time."

This time around Woods and his fellow Aussie Racing Cars drivers will have more spectators to impress as they contest the penultimate round of the 2014 championship.

Woods has improved since his last Bathurst visit and is now driving a Holden Cruze body-type entry.

He currently sits seventh in the championship and arrived at Bathurst on the back of a win in the final race of the most recent round, staged at the Queensland Raceway in August.

It was the best result of his Aussie Racing Cars career thus far, bettering sixth placings at Winton in 2013 and at Barbagallo earlier this year.

"We are last race winners, we won at Queensland Raceway, so hopefully we can come to Bathurst and finish what we have started," he said.

"We have pretty much been top 10 all year, so we are hoping to keep that going at Bathurst."

While that win gave Woods confidence, the man who will line up on the grid at Mount Panorama as favourite for the round is current series leader Peter Carr.

A six-year veteran of the series and a man who has finished on the Bathurst podium in the past, Carr holds a 25-point lead over Woods.

"Peter Carr is the championship leader, so he's the benchmark. When we roll out everyone wants to beat him," Woods said.

"He's the one with the target on his back and he's been the bridesmaid three or four times in the championship as well, so that's even more pressure on him."

Carr holds the category's lap record for Mount Panorama, having clocked a two minutes, 32.5206 seconds effort back in 2011.

Though that is an average of around 144km/hr, Woods points out the Aussie Racing Cars will hit speeds well in excess of that after making their way up the Mount.

They will also likely do it racing three and four abreast.

"That's what you are used to, you are usually looking left and looking right and seeing a car next to you," he said.

"We pretty much are flat out from Skyline the whole rest of the way in our cars you are in full fourth gear coming out of Forrest's Elbow, you are pretty much rev limiter.

"We get to about 235-240 kays per hour.

"I think Aussie Racing Cars are quicker than V8s over the top because we are flat out up there ... we have got really good grip and we are pretty agile."

The first race of the Aussie Racing Cars' Bathurst round is at 11.15am today.