KEY POINTS:
What a place, what a track, what a race. And at this time of year it can only be the Bathurst 1000, held at Mount Panorama in NSW.
Every V8 driver you talk to on either side of the Tasman will tell you he grew up watching a Bathurst race in one guise or another and dreamed of racing there.
That single race, has produced more joy, despair and great feats of driving than other race meeting in Australasia.
Over the past 45 years, this battle of man versus mountain has mentally broken many an emerging race car driver, even killed a few. But it has also forged some of Australasia's best. Some of those to have made their names on this beast include the legendary Peter Brock, Allan Moffat, Jim Richards and Larry Perkins.
The race even attracted a few ex-world motorcycle champions, one of whom was Greg Hansford who partnered Perkins to a win in 1993.
And another was Wayne Gardner who set pole in 2000 and also had a third-place finish.
In later years, it has been Mark Skaife with his five wins, and four-time winner Kiwi Greg Murphy, who have owned the place and both will be keen to edge closer to Brock's record of nine wins.
The circuit itself is regarded as one of the greats, up there with the likes of the old Nurbergring, Spa Francorchamps, Brands Hatch and Laguna Seca.
These courses evoke memories of great races and master drivers at their best and Mount Panorama has produced a few great races.
For the closest finish, you won't beat the 1977 Ford one-two where Moffat and Collin Bond crossed the line mere centimetres apart.
For an absolute drubbing of the rest of the field, Brock's six-lap demolition of all-comers in 1979 rates as the best, considering he broke the lap record on the last lap just for the hell of it.
Last year's race was edge-of-the-seat stuff with four cars howling down Conrod Straight with less than two seconds separating them.
Exiting Murray's for the last time, it was Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup who grabbed the win for the second time in succession.
Both drivers are revved up to win a third straight to emulate Brock and Perkins, but 28 other teams have other ideas.
There are three or four teams who on paper are the likely winners: Garth Tander and Skaife; Lowndes and Whincup; and Mark Winterbottom and Steve Richards. I'm not so sure. The Kiwi pairing of Murphy and Jason Richards have the pedigree and desire to snatch a win and both drivers are happy with their car.
The grumpy Enforcer, two-time winner Russell Ingall, must be in his mid-40s by now, but he has got his tail feathers up and is talking up his chances this year after a good season behind the wheel so far.
Don't rule him and his partner, fellow old-stager Paul Morris, out of the equation. Between them they must have done more laps around Bathurst than most of us have had hot dinners.
Ford cars have shown some good pace this year, so the Stone Brothers Racing pairing of Kiwi Shane van Gisbergen and Jonathon Webb, and the Dick Johnson Racing drivers Will Davidson and Steven Johnson will be there or there abouts.
Two other Kiwis in Paul Radisich and Craig Baird (driving with Rick Kelly and Glenn Seton respectively) know the place well so keep an eye on them.
Glenfords Racing's Kiwi Fabian Coulthard (with Alex Davidson) has put on a good show this year with his new team and the Paul Cruickshank prepared car seems to be to his liking.
Coulthard has been a consistent performer and sits just behind van Gisbergen in 15th on the championship points table.
Let's hope Team Kiwi Racing, with Kayne Scot and Chris Pither, have climbed their personal mountain and will be able to put on a good show for all the Kiwi supporters who have made the effort to cross the Tasman to wave the black and silver flag.
This weekend they have two new D3 spec engines and are confident the car will be quick and reliable.
