However, this time around they were doing so on different teams, with van Gisbergen driving a Mercedes AMG GT3 and Tander an Audi R8 LMS Evo.

Both drivers had reason to be pleased with their two days of vital Bathurst 12 Hour testing at Mount Panorama.

Van Gisbergen put down the leading time of Friday's opening session, a 2:01.5220, while Tander's Audi showed enviable consistency as he finished inside the top five in both of the days' sessions.

Their teams had the opportunity to remove the balance of power (BoP) modifications to their car for the final session on Friday but - with a high track temperature and disrupted session earlier in the event - neither garage put in unrestricted laps.

The 59 Racing entry of Ben Barnicoat was the only car to race unrestricted in the session, clocking a 2:00.5640 lap to finish on top of the standings.

Tander said he couldn't be happier with the way the Audi fared over Friday's testing.

He finished with times of 2:03.4810 and 2:04.0710, but it's the slower session he believes will prove more useful in the lead up to February's Bathurst 12 Hour.

"Obviously this morning, when it was cool, the track was awesome. That's as good as you're going to get at the track. That's why we were faster.

"However, the conditions we had in that session just then were much more representative of what we're going to get for qualifying in February for the 12 Hour so that's why we did our qually sims there.

"The car wasn't too bad in that session. The conditions weren't as good as what they were this morning but you don't qualify for the 12 Hour at seven in the morning. It feels good, but it's really irrelevant."

Tander said it would be wrong to only look at the time sheets when trying to determine how much a garage has achieved at Challenge Bathurst.

"We had a pretty rigorous testing program to go through. It's a new aero kit this year, different from the one we had in February. It's about trying to understand that kit before we come back," he said.

"There's a lot of test procedures we had to go through. It wasn't necessarily about trying to make the car go fast.

"Getting to come to Bathurst, drive a GT3 car on what is effectively a test day and get in plenty of laps is awesome. It's a great way to finish the year, for sure."

Tander has enjoyed memorable results at Mount Panorama over his decorated racing career.

He won the Bathurst 1000 in 2000, 2009 and 2011, plus podiums in 2010, 2015 and 2019. Tander also took out the 2002 Bathust 24 Hour and was second the following year.

However, the Bathurst 12 Hour has been less kind to him over his four-year stint with Audi.

His best result remains an eighth place on debut in 2016 alongside Steve McLaughlan and Rene Rast.