BATHURST 1000
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NO other man on the grid for this year's Bathurst 1000 has enjoyed the sort of success in the annual V8 Supercars endurance race that Craig Lowndes has, but the five-times Great Race winner admits Mount Panorama still holds a fear factor.
With its elevation changes, 23 turns and a straight which sees the V8 Supercars nudging 300 kilometres per hour, it is no secret how much of a challenge the Mount Panorama circuit is.
Lowndes is a man who has pushed the limits on the 6.213 kilometre track more than most until yesterday he held the V8 Supercars Bathurst practice lap record of two minutes, 6.8012 seconds and has twice claimed pole position.
This Sunday will mark Lowndes' 21st start in the Bathurst 1000, but there were still some nervous moments when he got behind the wheel for the opening practice session.
Not that they lasted long though.
"You go there not knowing what to expect and of course that is the fear factor, not knowing," Lowndes said.
"When you break through that, it becomes a little bit normal and you can come to do it one run after another.
"I go into the weekend pretty relaxed. I know Bathurst is such a huge week of motor racing on and off the track."
Lowndes arrived in Bathurst sitting second in the drivers' championship behind Red Bull Racing team-mate Jamie Whincup.
For the past three years Lowndes has finished the championship as runner-up to Whincup, but a good run at Mount Panorama could put him in a position to change that.
"We'll see what happens," he said.
"I've always said these three races [Sandown, Bathurst, Gold Coast] make or break a championship."
One of the most popular drivers in the series as attested to by his 55,676 Twitter followers Lowndes will have plenty of spectators cheering him on at Bathurst.
Just as he learnt from his late mentor Peter Brock, the Bathurst crowd can be a source of inspiration and motivation.
"It was great having that time with Brock because he sort of captured everything, you learnt to really absorb everything," Lowndes said.
"The atmosphere is electrifying, of course that's what we all get the buzz of and it makes you come back year after year.
"It's a great time of year, it's a race track and circuit I thoroughly enjoy coming back to. You can't get enough of it, you only race there once a year, which we'd love to do more.
"It's one of those atmospheres with the fans, it's one of the unique tracks where you actually hear the fans at it."