KEY POINTS:
What is it about men and mountains? We always want to climb and conquer them and in Southern Hemisphere motorsport parlance, there's none bigger than Mount Panorama near the New South Wales town of Bathurst.
This weekend will again witness 29 teams going bumper-to-bumper in an effort to
claim bragging rights as the 2008 king of the mountain.
The 46th running of the Bathurst 1000 is also the 10th round of the Australian V8 Supercars series.
Last year, Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup arrived for the weekend's racing as defending champions and Sandown winners. They duly proceeded to take a close-fought win that came down to the last lap, where less than two seconds covered the top four.
While they didn't win the last endurance round at Phillip Island last month, they were a close second. So it's looking ominous for the others as Lowndes and Whincup line-up again in an attempt to emulate the last drivers to win three consecutive races - Peter Brock and Larry Perkins from 1982 to 84. John Harvey was part of the team in 1983.
Lowndes, while not out of the championship picture in sixth, will want maximum points to help Whincup, third, and himself get up the table. With big points available for the Bathurst race, you'd think they'd be the Holy Grail for Whincup.
"Points are a second priority. Bathurst is a standalone event and our main priority is to try to win the race, that's what we're here for," said Whincup. "Of course championship points are up for grabs, but the whole focus at Bathurst is to try to win the race. After Bathurst we'll reassess the championship."
The Vodafone Triple Eight team is keen to get the car out of the transporter and on to the track with Lowndes eager to get underway.
"We're really pumped to be at Bathurst," said the three-time winner. "It's all getting pretty exciting and I can't wait to get there and see what we can do. This year, we're better prepared and more confident. We didn't win the L&H 500 this year but it went really well and the car was strong and reliable. The thing we've got to make sure is that Jamie and I are comfortable in the car. Luckily, we're the same height and weight, so it shouldn't be too much of a problem."
Best placed Kiwi in the overall championship is Steven Richards in seventh. He would be much higher but for a string of racing nudges and taps that put paid to podium finishes. The two-time Bathurst winner is in a fighting mood.
"Standing in pit lane is the best place to be this time of year," said Richards. "I'm really looking forward to it and can't wait for it to kick off. I'm looking for a third win. It was 10 years ago I won my first, and the second in 1999, so it's been a long time between drinks. But there are other things to think about like the drivers' and manufacturers' championships.
"But, if you're leading with 20 laps to go, you'll be doing everything you can to get the win, I can tell you."
There's a few sleepers in the race and chief among them will be four-time winner and recognised Bathurst master Greg Murphy, who's paired with fellow Kiwi, Jason Richards. Murphy's Tasman Motorsport team-ate Richards is no stranger to endurance racing, having been third in the 2007 Sandown 500 and second at Bathurst in 2005.
The pair had, by most team's standards, a good race last year when they were fourth.
"Last year was okay I suppose, but when you've had the ultimate success anything less is a bit average," said Murphy. "Having said that, our form during the past couple of years hasn't been good, so we'll be pleased with any form of result this year."
Jason Richards, on the other hand, is taking a different approach and is seeking his first win.
"I've had some really good success there [Bathurst] over the last three or four years,including only being 2.3secs away from winning in 2005," said Richards.
"As a team, we always go there thinking it's going to be a good weekend for us. It's always a good mindset when you and your team go there knowing you've got a realistic chance of doing really well."
Kiwi brothers Ross and Jim Stone will have gone all out to prepare a car to keep young New Zealander Shane van Gisbergen and Aussie Carrera Cup driver Jonathan Webb in the hunt.
After cutting his teeth in single seaters, van Gisbergen has adapted well to the big taxis and showed promise in the less than ideal TKR car last year.
"Last year was good fun and I'm looking forward to this year knowing a lot more than I did last year," said van Gisbergen." Our driving styles aren't too dissimilar - he [Webb] likes the car a bit tighter than I do.
"I like it to move around a bit but as long as we keep the car straight and good for the last 30 laps we'll be good."
Defending V8 Supercar champion Garth Tander is paired with five-time Bathurst winner Mark Skaife and will be a potent force.
They recently won the L&H 500 at Phillip Island near Melbourne. It was the first endurance win since 2005 for a Holden.
