ELEVEN years after they stood together on the Bathurst 1000 podium, Lee Holdsworth and Michael Caruso have united for another tilt at Great Race glory.
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But unlike that afternoon back in 2009 when they placed third in a Garry Rogers Motorsport Holden Commodore, this year they are aiming to stand two steps higher on the podium by winning in Tickford Ford Mustang.
Holdsworth has raced the Truck Assist Tickford Mustang all season and after co-driving for Cameron Waters in the team's #6 entry last year, in 2020 Caruso has linked with his old friend once more.
Back in 2009, the final year when full-time drivers were permitted to pair for endurance events, Holdsworth and Caruso had a strong run in the Bathurst 1000.
Only the Brad Jones Racing car of Jason Richards and Cameron McConville and plus Holden Racing team duo and race winners Garth Tander and Will Davison did better.
Holdsworth says that his performances on track throughout the 2020 season have given him a solid platform from which to work towards Great Race success.
"I think we're coming on at the right time," Holdsworth said.
"The first part of the season was really strong for us, the Truck Assist Ford Mustang was on the money, and we managed to snag a couple podiums.
"We had a bit of a dry patch for a bit, but I think we'll have a good car when we get on track at Bathurst.
"I have a great co-driver in Michael Caruso, he has a lot of experience and we're good mates, so I feel like that's going to pay off for us.
"As a team we've shown some good speed the last few rounds across the four cars, and I think we'll be in for a real chance this weekend to finish the year on a high at Bathurst."
Caruso is excited to return to Bathurst and remembers fondly the experience he and Holdsworth shared in 2009.
"It's great to be back in a race week again and at Bathurst no less," Caruso said.
"It's been such a strange year with all that's been happening, but to put all that behind us for a bit and to head to the mountain again is really exciting.
"I'm really excited to pair up with Lee as well, obviously we stood on the podium together in 2009, and we've been good mates for a long time, so I think that relationship will really help us get the most out of the car and out of each other."
Tickford Racing have had good performances throughout the 2020 season, with Waters winning the final hit out before the Bathurst 1000 at Tailem Bend.
Waters also finished fastest in practice one at Mount Panorama on Thursday morning, with Caruso saying that he believes the team can continue on that form.
"The Tickford team as a whole has really been quite strong, so hopefully we can keep that going and put together a great result on Sunday," Caruso said.
Holdsworth currently sits in 12th position in the championship, but will likely jump into the top 10 with a good performance on Sunday.
