Why you don’t need to be a motor racing fan to appreciate Bathurst

It all starts to hot up at Mount Panorama today, two practise sessions, 10am and 4:15pm.

The race itself will have a start after midday on Sunday and off they will go for 161 laps around a truly iconic circuit, and unlike some other races, it will finish when it will finish. It will be sometime between six and eight o'clock.

I've actually driven the circuit when I've been out to Bathurst - observing the speed limits, of course - and I encourage you, if you haven't done it, you've got to do it. I’d put it on the bucket list, it is absolutely amazing and left quite an impression.

As a matter of fact, it left me in awe of the talents and the nerves of steel the drivers who race must have, it’s bloody steep.

So, this is just public road, you can go out there and you go down pit straight, and off you go and in your own head, you think you're Jamie Whincup or Shane van Ginsbergen and you're just chugging along, as I say, observing the speed limit.

You don't have to be a motor racing fan to know where you'll find Conrod straight. You don't have to be a motor racing fans to know Peter Brock was the king of the mountain. It really is a race and a venue where legends are made.

The Bathurst 1000 is part of our sporting culture. I'm still actually getting my head around the fact that we're into the first weekend of summer this year, and that's when the race is being staged.

But the COVID pandemic as we know has caused so much disruption. This is where we're at. I think we're all just happy we can have some sort of crowd in attendance this year … and it will be a good crowd.

The weather forecast is okay, only a 20 per cent chance of rain on Sunday, Shane van Ginsbergen and Garth Tander posted as pre-race favourite with Sportsbet ahead of the mighty pairing of Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes, it would be high emotion if that pair was to win.

Holden v Ford, that's the way it's always been, take a pick and go from there.

Best of all about the Bathurst 1000 - you can agree or disagree with me - it is an event that gives so many a leave pass for one day of the year where the rules are; eskys allowed in the loungeroom, and the main TV in the house is showing just one show, all day, from first thing in the morning, it's on.

The television coverage is nothing short of outstanding. We get the angles from absolutely everywhere - the in car, the pits, the whole bit.

So, I can't wait for Sunday again, it’s not just one of the great motor racing events in Australia, but indeed one of the great motor racing events in the world, and we should be proud of it.