Few V8 Supercars fans would begrudge veteran Craig Lowndes a sixth Bathurst crown in the 1000 kilometre endurance event at Mt Panorama.
Sunday’s race will be a celebration of 50 years of motorsport at Bathurst’s iconic mountain circuit and Lowndes is the sprightly 38-year-old who bridges the gap between the sport’s classic days and its professional present.
After beginning his career as the understudy of nine-time winner Peter Brock, Lowndes made his Bathurst debut in 1994 alongside such names as Dick Johnson, John Bowe and Larry Perkins.
He surprised everyone by finishing second in that debut hit-out and has since gone on to win five Bathurst crowns – more than any other driver who’ll line up on October 7.
“This year is going to be a big milestone,” said Lowndes.
“Whoever wins it is going to be very proud to win the race that makes 50 years of Bathurst.
“I’m going there with a lot of confidence and to focus on what we need to do … hopefully to put us in the best position going into the race.”
Renowned for his ability to lift at this time of the year, the Holden ace goes into Bathurst on the back of a dominant Sandown 500 win alongside co-driver Warren Luff, which lifted him up to third on the V8 Supercars championship ladder behind teammate Jamie Whincup and Ford’s Mark Winterbottom.
The victory was also Luff’s first as a V8 Supercars driver, a boost that Lowndes believes will prove invaluable once he straps himself into the driver’s seat at Bathurst.
“There’s no doubt a victory like that is going to give him a lot more confidence and it probably does get the monkey off his back,” Lowndes said.
“I believe in him and that’s why I wanted the team to get him on board.
“There’s no doubt that he understands the enormity of how big Bathurst is and what it takes to win.”
While Luff surely understands the importance of Bathurst, few drivers have the relationship with the circuit Lowndes enjoys.
Despite having driven the several thousand laps of the mountain in his career, Lowndes still leaves his caravan at the circuit at the crack of dawn every morning in the build-up to the race to walk the track.
It’s a passion ingrained by “King of the Mountain” Brock, whose career became synonymous with the iconic 6.213 kilometre circuit.
And whether he’s walking up Mountain Straight on a frosty morning or tearing down Conrod Straight at close to 300 km/h during a tense tussle, Lowndes says the memory of his mentor Brock is never far away.
“I was lucky when I got involved in the V8 category to be involved in the same team as Peter,” he said.
“He helped me enormously and hopefully I can pass on a lot of what he taught me.
“Brock was a huge part of Bathurst, his nine victories, every time you go to the mountain you’re always going to have those moments where you do reflect back on what it was like with him and what he taught you.”
All through the 2012 V8 Supercars championship Lowndes has found himself in a four-way battle for dominance with defending champion Whincup and FPR pair Winterbottom and Will Davison.
And Whincup, who won three consecutive Bathurst crowns from 2006-08 alongside Lowndes, has no doubt who is the man to beat in this year’s epic.
“Without doubt (Lowndes is favourite),” Whincup said.
“He has unbelievable form at Bathurst and has had for the last five years and won the last round, so he’s in the box seat.
“He’ll go in being the favourite and it’ll be up to the rest of us to challenge him.”