Craig Lowndes and Jཧamie Whincup will look to become the first pair in more than two decade𝔉s to secure a hat-trick of wins at Bathurst in the second V8 Supercar enduro event of the season.

The feat was last achieved back in 1984 by Larry Perkins and the late Peter Brock, but both Lowndes and Whincup head ꦛinto the weekend aware that a third straight win will be far from straightf𝓡orward.

Fresh from a second place finish in the L&H 500 at Phillip Island last time out, the pair have also completed a solid test day at Queensland Raceway and Lowndes said he was confident about the biggest race on the calendar next wee♏kend at the Mountain.

"I feel more confident going into Bathurst this year than I felt last year, personally I am a lot fitter and much more prepared," he said. "A thi꧑rd win would put us in the history books, but more importantly be a fantastic credit to the team which has shown its strength at the endurance events and particularly Bathurst.

"The new tyre will again be an interesting factor for teams to deal with, tyre issues seem to come and go at Bathurst and we won't really know what to expect until the race is underway. Our driver ♔pairing hasn't ch꧙anged, the team hasn't changed - hopefully the result has not changed!"

For Fabrizio Giovanardi and Marc Hynes, the Supercheap Auto 1000 presents a compl𝔉etely different challenge, with both drivers making their Bathurst debut.

The car #88 duo drove a solid, sensible race at Phillip Island to finish in 17th place and relished the extra seat time at Que𒈔ensland Raceway.

In the fortnight that has passed since Phillip Island, Giovanardi returned to the UK to wrap up a second straight BTCC title and he said he felt the championship success had been a good boost going into the wee🐟kend.

"It has been a busy time for me and very satisfying to take another title, now my focus switches to Bathurst with TeamVodafone,𒆙 one of the biggest challenges I will face in my career," he said. "Each time I get in the car I am feeling more comfortable, we will use the practice sessions to learn the track and take a safe and consistent race strategy."

Hynes said he couldn✱'t wait to tackle the Mountain for the first time, citinꩵg it as a race he had always wanted to take part in.

"Very few races are held in the same regard as Bathurst, it's talked about the world over. To be able to contest the race with the defending champions is a fantastic opportunity," the Briton said. "The team knows this track like no other and I'm looki𓆉ng forward to working with Fabrizio and the engineers to setup the car, with a good stra๊tegy and the proven pace we are quietly confident of a top result."