DEAN Canto might say that simply driving in the Bathurst 1000 is enough to make him happy, but come this Sunday he will no doubt be hoping for a massive 21st celebration.
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Only three drivers in this year's Bathurst 1000 - Steve Richards, Craig Lowndes and Garth Tander - have more starts in the annual enduro to their credit than Canto.
But while those three have claimed the chequered flag multiple times, as he prepares for start 21 Canto is yet to stand on the top tier of the Bathurst podium.
He got close in 2012 - 0.3129 seconds - when co-driving for Dave Reynolds. Not surprisingly, that is Canto's Great Race highlight.
But what is a surprise is that his biggest disappointment at Mount Panorama is not one of the 11 DNFs next to his name, but a ninth placing with Reynolds in 2013.
That year the duo had their Rod Nash Racing Falcon in the lead at the halfway mark thanks to an alternate fuel strategy and good car speed, but a yellow flag on lap 85 caught them out.
"All my starts, they're all special in their own way, but obviously coming second is still a highlight," Canto said.
"I think the following year is probably one which hurts more because we had probably a more competitive car and were running up the front for most of the day, but we fell on the wrong side of the safety car which put us back and we couldn't recover from it.
"[But] It's always happy when you are doing a Bathurst 1000, there's nothing to be disappointed about."
Plenty has changed over the years since an 18-year-old Canto made his Bathurst debut alongside Wayne Wakefield in 1999.
Over 20 years has witnessed the evolution of the event and the Mount Panorama complex as a whole.
"Obviously you never forget your first Bathurst, especially back then when the fields were starting around the corner there with the big fields," Canto said.
"That was back when you used to have your garages out the back and then it was just the pit bunker basically. It's definitely evolved a lot since I've been coming there and it's a great place to go to now.
"Let alone the track, but the facilities are top class."
It's always happy when you are doing a Bathurst 1000, there's nothing to be disappointed about.
- Dean Canto
This year as Canto hunts for an elusive Bathurst victory in what will mark his 21st Great Race, it will be for a different team.
After steering Ford Falcons since 2008, he will partner Macauley Jones in one of the three Brad Jones Racing Holden Commodores.
"I've been part of a fair few teams and always admired BJR as a team and how they operate and their strategy and things like that are a real strength," he said.
"It will be great to work with them after all these years.
"Macca is obviously driving full-time and is probably a little bit sharper behind the wheel, but I have that experience in the race itself and how it evolves during the day and just the approach to the race itself.
"I think that's part of the reason why I joined them, being able to bring that experience to them is something that they value. It's nice to know experience does count for something."