WITH five Bathurst wins under his belt, Mark Skaife knows exactly what it takes to win Australia's greatest race, and can assure that every driver will be giving it a "red-hot crack" in 2020.
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This year's Bathurst 1000 will be unique for a number of reasons, but one of the biggest is that it is the first time in 20 years that the Great Race has served as the final round of the Supercars championship.
Scott McLaughlin was able to secure the championship win at Tailem Bend last month, leaving him in a position to race harder than ever for a second Bathurst title.
For Skaife, who will commentate Sunday's race, it's "the ability for everybody to come to Bathurst with a red-hot crack of winning Australia's biggest race" that he's looking forward to most.
"Coming to Bathurst on any normal time, everybody puts their best foot forward, but given the significance of this race and the way that people approach it as a number one event of the year, it's going to be a ripping race," he said.
He also says he's sure "it's the right way for us to finish what has been a crazy 2020".
Supercars suspended racing at the Australian Grand Prix in March due to the threat of COVID-19.
Racing wasn't able to resume until the end of June, seeing the racing calendar significantly reworked and the format of race meetings changed to protect everyone while allowing the championship to continue.
That means Bathurst will be the only endurance race of the year, and the first time since racing resumed that teams will have to refuel and swap drivers during pit stops.
In Skaife's assessment, there are eight to ten driver combinations likely to be in serious contention.
"The thing about Bathurst is it's such an easy race to lose and a very, very hard race to win," he said.
"The smallest little thing - it's a complex sport and a very, very weird race - the smallest little thing will put you out of contention."
Drivers will take to the grid for the Bathurst 1000 race on Sunday following three days of practice and qualifying.
Limited tickets are available for the event. For those not able to attend, the race will be broadcast on free-to-air television and Fox Sports dedicated Bathurst pop-up channel.
