TO drivers, the Bathurst 1000 is an event like no other.
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It goes without saying that the calibre and complexities of the Mount Panorama circuit make it a unique race, but how the city and fans embrace the drivers also makes this event special to them.
Last year's champions Craig Lowndes and Steven Richards visited Bathurst on Wednesday and talked candidly about what it's like coming for the event.
"The atmosphere and buzz through town, it's amazing. It's really hard to describe," Lowndes said.
"It's probably like an Indy 500 or a Spa 24-hour race, where you actually get an opportunity to really embrace what it is, the fans get up really close and, Brock was right, it is an amazing spiritual place because of all the good vibes that come here."
The seven-time Bathurst champion also embraces the opportunity to meet the fans, who often crowd around him behind the pit complex.
"You love giving back, hearing the stories and all that goes on, and seeing those little kids, the next generation, that are coming through following in their parents' footsteps," he said.
For Richards, who has been coming to Bathurst since the 1970s, the Mountain and its biggest race have left him with a lot of memories, both good and bad.
"The atmosphere at Bathurst is like nowhere else we go, because it's the holy grail of our motor sport industry," he said.
"Every year we come up here we know how special it is."
The Great Race festival officially starts on October 10, with it preceded by activities on Super Wednesday.
The endurance race will be held on Sunday, October 13, starting at a new time of 11.30am.
Lowndes and Richards, although the champions, will be going head-to-head this year following Lowndes' retirement from full-time racing at the end of 2018.
Both will be in familiar territory, though, being paired up with full-time drivers they have previously won the Great Race with.
Richards will partner Mark Winterbottom in the #18 Irwin Racing Holden, while Lowndes will step into the co-driver role alongside four-time Bathurst 1000 winner Jamie Whincup.
The latter duo have won the race together three times.
When the lights go out, they will be among a field of 26 cars, all vying for the chance to stand on the top step of the podium and etch their names onto the Peter Brock Trophy.
Fans can watch the action from the track or see live coverage on television. There will also be opportunities to meet the drivers in the days prior to the race.
