WITH 2020 on the horizon, the Western Advocate sports department is reflecting on some of the biggest sporting moments in Bathurst over the past decade.
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When it comes to motor sport there are plenty to pick from given the excitement which has unfolded at the iconic Mount Panorama circuit.
We've selected five big moments, in no particular order, but we are asking you to vote on which was the most iconic of the of decade.
In 2011 Formula One ace Jenson Button put his skills to the test at Mount Panorama as part of a car swapping event with Supercars star Craig Lowndes.
He enjoyed his chance to steer a V8 around the iconic circuit, clocking a 2:17 in Lowndes' Holden Commodore, but it was behind the wheel of his Mercedes McLaren Formula One car that he excelled.
Button set what is unofficially the fastest lap time ever clocked at Mount Panorama - a one minute, 48 seconds effort - as he averaged 207km/hr.
He then proclaimed he felt he could have gone faster with more seat time.
"I think you could get it down to a 1.40 here ... actually I think you could even possibly get into the 1.30s," he said.
"There is only one other circuit I have driven like this and that is Macau."
While the Bathurst 12 Hour allowed GT3 specification cars on the grid for the first time in 2011, it was the inclusion of the enduro as the opening round of the Intercontinental GT Challenge in 2016 which really saw the event grow.
It saw the 2016 12 Hour attract 55 entries - the biggest grid since its 2007 revival - and amongst those were a host of big name drivers and teams from across the globe.
Factory teams from McLaren, Bentley and Nissan were joined by teams enjoying works-support from Audi, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Reiter Engineering (Lamborghini).
"The growing importance of this race on the global stage, and now as part of the Intercontinental GT Challenge, is reflected by the manufacturer interest and the fact so many great drivers and teams want to come and race on the mountain," then event director John Casey said.
The 2016 race was won by the McLaren driven by Shane van Gisbergen, Jonathon Webb and Alvaro Parente.
The change led to unprecedented domestic and international exposure for the event.
Scott McLaughlin was left wiping tears of joy from his eyes after his hot lap in the 2017 Bathurst 1000 top 10 shootout.
It was because the DJR Team Penske star clocked a 2:03.8312 lap - the quickest ever seen by a Supercars driver at the Mount at that stage.
"That was the most incredible moment of my life," he exclaimed.
"Thank you so much, oh my God. I dreamt of doing this since I was a kid."
He averaged 181km/hr to claim the first Great Race pole of his career, the effort dubbed 'the new Lap of the Gods' - a title first bestowed on the flyer of fellow Kiwi Greg Murphy 14 years earlier
While McLaughlin did go faster in the 2019 shootout, steering his Ford Mustang around the track in a scorching 2:03.3783 seconds lap to claim pole position, the record was later stripped due to a technical breach.
The 2014 Great Race went down as the longest race in V8 Supercars history following a controversial red flag period of over an hour, but that was not the only reason it was a Bathurst 1000 to remember.
In Saturday morning practice the Holden Racing Team Commodore being driven by Warren Luff was involved in a massive crash at turn two. The damage was so extensive the car did not make it to the starting grid.
Then on Sunday, with the resurfaced track breaking up at turn two and triggering a number of crashes, officials took the remarkable step of red-flagging the race after 61 laps to allow for repairs. Cars sat on the grid for over an hour.
Then came the dramatic conclusion.
On the final lap it was Jamie Whincup - the man who went on to win the 2014 championship - who led. But as the Red Bull Racing driver ran out of petrol, Ford Performance Racing's Chaz Mostert pulled off a passing move on his inside at Forrest's Elbow.
Not only had Mostert come from the rear of the grid to win, but his co-driver Paul Morris had crashed along the way.
"The last five laps all I could think of was 'Cough, you bastard, cough!"' Mostert said in reference to Whincup's car.
"I had to have a crack, and we pulled it off. From 26th to first, it's unbelievable. Everything went our way."
Five categories of racing featuring elite international drivers - the 2020 Bathurst International is set to be a fantastic addition to the annual Mount Panorama calendar.
The Australian Racing Group (ARG) was awarded the opportunity to host a fifth major event at the Bathurst track following a lengthy selection process that started in April this year.
ARG is expecting to build to a crowd similar to what is seen each year at the Bathurst 12 Hour, which in more recent years has attracted around 40,000 people.
The event - which is yet to confirm a date but is expected to be in early December - will feature the Australian TCR series, the open wheeler S5000 category, Touring Car Masters, LMP3 and TA2s.
"It's pretty cool, the more events here the better, it's a spectacular circuit and we probably take it for granted a little bit us Australians," Will Brown, the current TCR champion said.
"It's world renowned and everyone talks about it overseas and all the drivers over there want to come here. So to race these TCRs and S5000s here, all these cool categories at another event here, is awesome and I'm really looking forward to it."
