NESTLED next to Marrangaroo National Park and a quarry lies the Lithgow City Paceway.
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It's one of a handful of go-kart tracks scattered across the Central West, which has been a springboard for many to kick-start their love of motor racing.
And that's just the case for Josh Buchan.
The 28-year-old began his motor racing career as a young 15-year-old driving go-karts.
And when he headed to Bathurst on the weekend to compete in the final round of the TCR Australia Series, he even stopped by on the way to visit the old track.
"I started racing karts at Lithgow when I was 15. That was my first track," he said.
"I spent three weekends a month sleeping in cars, sleeping tents, sleeping in dodgy caravans, to compete.
"I never had any idea I'd race a car, let alone at Bathurst."
And on Sunday, 13 years on from those days driving go-karts at Lithgow, Buchan was crowned the 2023 TCR Australia Series champion in dramatic fashion.
Buchan went into the final round in second place behind HMO Customer Racing teammate Bailey Sweeny.
But after Sweeny was not classified in race two, after a malfunction to the inter-cooler hose in his Hyundai i30N TCR.
Sweeny was ultimately disqualified from the final race, which combined with international drivers in the TCR World Tour.
Buchan would finish fourth in the Australia section, with Tony D'Alberto taking first, while in the World Tour it was Frenchman Yann Ehrlacher claiming victory.
Even though he headed to Bathurst in second, Buchan said he was feeling relaxed heading into the three-race final round at Mount Panorama.
"I was very content with first, second or third," he said.
"Whatever I did, if it was enough, it was enough. If it wasn't, I was honestly happy with my efforts through the year.
"I feel like I probably haven't had the strongest car, so therefore, anything I've got, I'm happy about."
Buchan said the championship win feels like "relief".
"It's a pressure cooker the whole year and you don't get to enjoy it for very long," he said.
"The championship goes from February, testing in January. It's 12 months of all this, so there's big relief and I'll happily sleep well tonight.
"Bathurst has been kind and ugly to me over the years and I wasn't very fast today, but for whatever reason, it was kind to me to give me what I've got now."
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