Here are the top 12 reasons to take in the action of the 12 Hour.

THE 12 Hour field brings together an incredibly broad and diverse mixture of cars, from the top flight GT3 racers, to the more production oriented GT4 cars, all the way to the specialist racers developed solely for endurance racing.

There’s really nothing quite like it anywhere in Australia – a cacophony of sights and sounds.

GT3 remains a remarkable showcase of an array of different vehicles, from mid-mounted Supercars to converted luxo-liners that are startlingly effective endurance racers.

Where else can the McLaren 650S GT3 – with its mid-mounted twin turbo V8 – compete head-to-head with a Bentley Continental GT3?

There’s the thundering Mercedes AMG GT3s, which remain some of the most brutal sounding cars ever to race at Bathurst. Of course there’s Lamborghini, a V10 powered Audi R8, BMW and Ferrari in the mix and so too are Porsche.

Don’t forget the Aussie battler privateer team of the Melbourne based Daytona Sportscars crew, who will run two cars – the Daytona itself (already the fastest car ever down Conrod) and the V10 Viper they ran in 2017.

NOWHERE else in the world can you see the very best drivers from Australia’s Supercars Championship going head-to-head with the best GT and SportsCar drivers from across the globe.

Bathurst is that place and showcases a) how good our guys are against the world’s best and b) how good the world’s best actually are!

Every year the race has a stronger entry list that showcases a staggering array of the top talent from both Australia and overseas.

There are former Bathurst 1000 winners aplenty – Craig Lowndes, Steve Richards, Tony Longhurst, Garth Tander, Chaz Mostert, David Reynolds, Will Davison and Jamie Whincup amongst them.

But what of the internationals? It’s a fine bunch, that’s for sure. There are already factory drivers confirmed from Audi, Porsche, McLaren, Bentley, BMW and Mercedes AMG, while the list also includes LeMans winners, DTM champions and winners of a majority of the major international enduros like the Spa and Nurburgring 24 Hour epics.

There will be more than 200 Formula 1 Grand Prix starts on the Bathurst grid, multiple LeMans 24 Hour winners and world champions in GT and sports Car racing.

A BATHURST shootout never fails to excite and the 12 Hour’s first one in 2017 was no different, with flying Finn Toni Vilander saving his best to last to bang in the fastest time and grab pole for Ferrari.

The qualifying record is 2:01.567 set in 2015 by Shane van Gisbergen. It’s the fastest ever lap officially recorded at Mount Panorama.

Vilander’s pole time in much, much warmer conditions in 2017 during the first ever shootout came in a still brisk 2:02.954.

Who knows how fast they will go in 2018? If it’s a bit cooler and conditions are right the sky is the limit for these incredible cars and drivers.

THINK a 12-Hour race is boring? It’s not. Not even close. Take last year’s race for example – one that featured a remarkable battle for the lead in the closing stages between two of the best drivers from this corner of the world.

Jamie Whincup and Shane van Gisbergen’s fight for the top spot in 2017 was remarkable – but there so much of this throughout the race every year.

THERE is so much to see at the 12 Hour, it’s a photographers dream!

Get the camera out and see what you can snap around the famous Mount Panorama circuit in 2018.

SOUND has been a big talking point in motor sport lately, but there’s nothing to worry about the sounds you’ll hear at the Bathurst 12 Hour.

From the low, bass-thud of the AMG V8, to the bellow of the Audi V10s and distinctive turbocharged sound of BMW’s M6GT3, there’s plenty to love about the noises these beasts make. And they do it for 12 hours straight.

DON’T let anyone tell you that this race doesn’t mean anything.

Don’t let them tell you that these drivers and teams aren’t giving their absolute all to try and win what has quickly become one of the ‘majors’ on the world GT racing calendar.

The events in the closing stages of the 2017 race are proof positive of that: Shane van Gisbergen throwing everything he had at their rival Ferrari, first in defence and then in attack when Jamie Whincup wrestled the lead away. 

Then there was an unfortunate ending as the car ended up in the concrete on the exit of The Dipper.

It means something to win this race, and everyone gives their absolute all. And that’s one of the reasons it is so special.

THERE aren’t many major races in Australia where your general admission ticket gets you so much access as the 12 Hour.

From the back of the pits, to the top of the mountain you can access most of the precinct with just the one ticket. And great on-course commentary, big screens and close viewing mean you see and hear it all.

GET yourself to the top of Mount Panorama before the 5.45am start and watch a magical hour of motor sport as the cool air greets the sunrise over the Blue Mountains in the east.

The cars spout flames, the brake discs glow and the mountain comes alive as the race builds throughout its generally intense first hour sprint.

It’s one of the most spectacular sights in all of Australian motor sport.

THE Bathurst 12 Hour has become a veritable showcase for brands to show their wares – both on and off track.

Already Audi, BMW, Bentley, Porsche, Mercedes AMG and McLaren have some form of works-support on track in the race itself.

Off track, the Manufacturers Walk will return, filling Harris Park with a veritable motor show of some of the best new machinery on sale from our competing brands.

IT’S the unique atmosphere that makes the 12 Hour such a special place to go and visit.

Whether it’s sitting under the shade at the top of the Mount, chilling in a corporate suite or enjoying a beverage with your mates at the unique Heineken roof-top bar on Pit Straight, there’s a great vibe around the place.

The crowd can spread out, meaning you’re not battling massive queues to move around the place and it’s free to enter the pit and paddock area.

FOR a race that lasts for 12 hours, this is a contest that has an uncanny knack of throwing up a particularly tight finish.

In fact, across 2014, 2015 and 2016 there have been 2,160 minutes of racing at the Mount. The total winning margin, across all three races, was 3.72 seconds.

Only three times out of the last 11 races has the race been decided by more than a full lap – and even in 2013, won by the Mercedes SLS AMG of Bernd Schneider, Alex Rollof and Thomas Jaeger – the result was still anyone’s right until the flag, thanks mainly to a torrential down pour in the final hour of the race.

One tiny slip up and he the race would have been anyones.