McFarland was part of 2016’s inaugural 6 Hour, and was eyeing off a top 10 finish until he lost his front right wheel with just over an hour to go.

The incident had fuelled the desire for McFarland to bring his Subaru Impreza WRX back for another tilt at the endurance event, and he’s brought Hough on board for their race in Class B1.

There were good signs for the Bathurst duo when they put the Subaru through its paces in February’s Wakefield 300, scoring a 12th place finish overall.

McFarland sees no reason why he can’t find himself racing for a top 10 finish at Bathurst once again.

“We’ve been right over the car, with many new bits and pieces. We’ll be looking for another top 10 again. It’s going to be a lo tougher this year, with a lot more quicker cars, but that’s our goal,” he said.

“When that wheel broke in that last hour it was such a disappointment. The guys did well to get us back out there to finish. Obviously we want to come back and finish what we didn’t get to last year.”

The challenge of endurance racing at Mount Panorama is an experience which McFarland is well accustomed to.

“I’d done the 24 hour back in 2003, which was a lot of fun, but this time at the 6 Hour it’s our own car and our own team – everything that we’ve put together – and you get an appreciation for all the work that goes into that,” he said.

“This car is really nice to drive, too. It’s a lot of fun.”

McFarland and Hough will be racing in Class B1, for high performance forced induction cars, consisting of six entries. 

The group is made up of four BMW’s – a mix of 135i and 335i models – and one other Subaru Impreza.

With 64 other cars to race against on Sunday in the battle for the overall prize, it’s a challenge McFarland looks forward to.

“We have more Supercars drivers here this year and Porsche Cup drivers. It’s getting bigger and bigger,” he said.

“It’s going to be tough but if we keep it straight and keep it the road there’s no reason we can’t be there at the end with a top 10.

“Our own class will be tough … against the twin turbo BMW’s, but we just need a bit of rain and it would sort them out.”

Hough has been more accustomed to racing a Hyundai Excel in Series X3 NSW, where he finished with a pair of race wins and a top 10 overall finish last season.

The Subaru presents a completely new driving experience for Hough.

“It’s a big step up for myself. The Subaru’s a lot different from what I’m used to driving. It’s a lot quicker in the stops and turns,” Hough said.

Hough has been coming to Mount Panorama for a long time, but until now it’s been as a spectator.

“Driving here is a dream come true. It’s not something that I ever imagined would happen. I’ve only been circuit racing for two years now so to get the call up, it’s unreal,” he said.

“You always dream about being able to get a run across the top of the Mount.”