HE was amongst 100,000 fans at the MCG last Saturday, but Anton de Pasquale will be hoping to create even better memories this coming Sunday.
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A life long Collingwood fan, de Pasquale saw his beloved Magpies claim a four-point victory in the 2023 AFL grand final, alongside his family.
It's a special moment, that'll live long in his memory as Collingwood defeated Brisbane Lions to win its first premiership since 2010.
Now de Pasquale is hoping to enjoy something even better - a win at Bathurst.
"I went down to the game with my dad and stuff, which was really good because we've been Collingwood all our life. It was really cool and it was a really game," he said.
"It was really stressful of course, but it was great to be a part of it. I didn't expect anything less being a grand final and the two best teams. It was definitely one of the coolest grand finals I've ever been to.
"Obviously it's a good build up for the main event, which is Bathurst."
When asked if he would prefer a Collingwood premiership or Bathurst 1000 win, de Pasquale was pretty quick to answer.
"Definitely Bathurst," he said.
"You'd trade anything to win the race."
He said the Bathurst 1000 is so special because anyone has a chance to win it.
"It's such a long day and anything can happen and we've seen it happen over the years," he said.
"We've just got to get stuck in, put your best foot forward and hopefully come Sunday, you've got a car fast enough for the six or seven hours to be there at the final stint and have a crack."
Driving up to Bathurst earlier the week, de Pasquale said it was great to see all the fans out and about in town and on the roads.
"Bathurst week is the coolest week of the year for us," he said.
"It starts really early and heaps of people have already flocked into town.
"You can see them when you drive up, past all these caravans and sorts of stuff.
"Being a part of the whole Bathurst week is just a cool thing and see how much it means to everyone is great."
De Pasquale has won just one race in the 2023 Supercars Championship season, the second race of the Townsville 500 back in early July.
He followed that up with a second in the next round at Eastern Creek, in the second race of Sydney SuperNight in late July.
He's currently ranked 11th in the overall standings.
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