The CAMS Australian Hill Climb Championships has attracted drivers from all over the country to Mount Panorama from November 1-3, including a group of four mates from the Mornington Peninsula and Gippsland regions of Victoria.
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One of those four is Steven Buffinton, who arrived in Bathurst on Thursday with his Westfield Clubman 1600cc, decorated in the similar yellow and green colours of legendary Australian motor sport driver Jack Brabham.
Buffinton hails from Mount Eliza and he's a member of the South Gippsland Car Club, alongside his three other friends that have made the trip to Bathurst - Lex Thorbecke, from Inverloch, Ian Speight, from Korumburra, and Jim McNiven, from Leongatha.
It's Buffinton's first time in Bathurst and he's found the Mount Panorama circuit faster than any other track he's raced on.
"It was quite interesting and quite faster than what we're use to in hill climbs," he said about his first practice drive on Friday.
"Hill climbs in Victoria are in the 80 kilometre an hour range, up to 100 if you're lucky.
"Here, we're using two gears further up than what we're use to. It's much faster and it's more challenging. You look at the corners and you go in much faster than what you're use to.
"I'm thinking, I'm never going to get around this, but I do."
Buffinton was driving in the 2A Sports Cars 0-1600cc category, with three other drivers in his category.
Those three other drivers were Colin Newitt in his Clubman Locost 1598cc, Zac Le Lievre 1585cc in his Westfield Megabusa 1600cc and Speight in his Mallock V2 1300 cc.
Buffinton finished with the third best time in his category on Saturday, with 56.31 seconds, which he achieved in this third and final run.
His first two runs he finished in a time of 58.06 seconds and 57.94 seconds.
Le Lievre was the fastest driver in the category in a time of 44.81 seconds and Newitt finished second in a time of 55.46 seconds.
Buffinton has been competing at hill climb championships for the past 20 years, but did take a break for almost eight years.
This year's hill climb championships is the eighth time it's been held in Bathurst since the competition's beginning in 1938, the previous years being 1956, 1967, 1976, 1996, 2006, 2008 and 2012.
Malcolm Oaster won the 2018 edition at Yallourn in Victoria, his fourth career victory and fourth in five years, adding to his titles in 2014, 2015 and 2016.
Tim Edmondson was the last man to win the Australian Hill Climb Championships in Bathurst, which was held in 2012.