A NEW car, a new race and a new challenge - Bathurst brothers Kyle and Blake Aubin are setting themselves for a big Easter at Mount Panorama.
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For the past three years over Easter the siblings have contested the Bathurst 6 Hour, picking up class podiums in 2018 and 2016.
But this year instead of steering their Renault Megane - the car they also campaigned with success in the Australian Production Car series - they will lap the Mount in a Ginetta G50.
And rather than pushing for class hours in Sunday's 6 Hour enduro, they will instead feature in the Production Sports support category.
The two one-hour races staged at Bathurst will be the Aubins' Production Sports debut and will mark the start of their 2019 campaign in the series.
"It will be our first race in a GT4 car, so I'm really excited. It's obviously a massive step up for us, so it will be a big learning curve," Blake Aubin said.
"We've done a couple of test days, so we're really excited to actually get out and have a race in it. Those test were definitely an eye-opener, we came back into the pits with massive smiles on our faces.
"It's got aero, which we obviously haven't raced with before, and slick tyres which we haven't raced with before and it's a paddle shift as well. So it's quite a different beast compared to a production car, but it's amazing to drive and there's a lot grip."
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While both Blake and Kyle will be aiming to finish as high up the grid as possible at their home track, this weekend is more about adjusting to the Ginetta.
Still, Blake is excited to see what it can do across the top of the Mount as he knows that is where the new car should excel.
"That's where these cars come alive. In a straight line the Ginetta probably lacks a little bit to the other GT4 cars, but their aero package, their down force - they only weigh 900 kilos - so the grip across the top will be a pretty big eye-opener," he said.
"Obviously we want to win, get as high up in the results as we can, but essentially this is a bit of a test. It's actually a nice feeling not having massive expectations on us like when we competed in the past 6 Hours.
"It's more of a learning curve and hopefully we finish both races on a positive note and we go from there. Hopefully we can take away the experience we get from there and use it, there's no better track to do it at."
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The experience the brothers - who have now been racing together for four years - gain this weekend will not only help them for the rest of the 2019 Production Cars series, but lay the platform as they work towards a bigger goal.
They hope to eventually race the Ginetta in the Bathurst 12 Hour.
"We're going to race in the Production Sports series this year, develop it and see where it's at and if it's possible to do the 12 Hour with next year," Blake revealed.
"We'll see how much development we've got to do and how much we need to upgrade - things like that. That is our long term goal, whether or not we do it next year we don't know yet, but this weekend will be a good indication.
"I'm just looking forward to this weekend, it should be awesome. It's a local event for us and it's growing more and more every year, there are more spectators which is great for Bathurst as well. Hopefully it will continue to grow and hopefully it will be there each year."
The Aubins will contest the first one the one-hour races from 11.40am on Saturday, with the other to follow from 9.50am on Sunday.
Qualifying starts 2.55pm on Friday.
