FOR the first time in Bathurst 12 Hour history, the machines that will be racing around Mount Panorama changed course to descend on the central business district on Thursday.
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A parade of cars representing each of the marques competing on Sunday made its way through Bathurst on Thursday morning, stopping in Russell Street so fans could get up close and personal.
The drivers that will pilot these vehicles also came down, interacting with fans and posing for promotional photos.
While it was all smiles then, there’s no doubt that in the backs of their minds these drivers were thinking about the tough job they have ahead of them.
They will get their first practice on the Mount Panorama circuit on Friday, ahead of a final practice on Saturday, qualifying and the top 10 shootout.
Racing will commence on Sunday at 5.45am, with spectators able to watch from the track or on television via 7Mate.
Among the drivers tackling the gruelling endurance race this weekend is Jamie Whincup, a seven-time winner of the Supercars Championship and one-time 12 Hour winner.
He will join forces with his Triple Eight Race Engineering teammate Shane van Gisbergen and recent retiree Craig Lowndes, the man with whom he shares three Bathurst 1000 victories.
Whincup was happy to be teaming up with some familiar faces to race under the banner of Mercedes-AMG Team Vodafone.
“It’s a cool concept, teaming up with my usual Supercars teammates,” he said.
“While Triple Eight have brought their flavour to the race, so to speak, it’s very much Scott Taylor Motorsport that has prepared the car and brought it here this weekend.”
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An impressive field of Australian and international drivers will be part of the field on Sunday.
Whincup said everyone wanted to know who he thought was the biggest threat, but even he can’t pinpoint that.
“With this type of racing, you don’t know what you’ve got until Sunday. It’s very, very different to Supercars,” he said.
“Hopefully the cards we’re dealt as far as the parity goes are good for the Mercedes, but we’re just focused on our own job.
“There’s so much to do with being there at the end of 12 hours, having a good strategy, keeping the car clean, doing everything mechanically well. We’ll just make sure we execute that and if we get to the end and have a fast car, then happy days.”
Also taking on the challenge is Tim Slade, another full-time Supercars driver.
He will drive alongside Nick Foster and Nick Percat in the HubAuto Corsa Ferrari, calling their trio the “perfect combo”.
Slade has participated in the 12 Hour a number of times and brings with him a lot of track knowledge that he can rely on during Sunday’s race.
“Bathurst is one of those tracks where a bit of track knowledge definitely does help and I’ve been fortunate to be able to drive the car that we’re driving this weekend in Asia last year,” he said. “That’s definitely handy, knowing the car and the track.”
However, he knows that it will be a very competitive race given the calibre of the teams and drivers he’ll be up against.
“We’ll just go about our business, perform to the best of our ability and see where that puts us Sunday evening,” Slade said.
