Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup will look to become the first pair in mor🌳e than two decades 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 into the weekend a𒁃ware that a third straight win will be far from straightforward.

Fresh from a second place finish in the L&H 500 at Phillip Island la꧂st time out, the pair have also completed a solid tes🔯t day at Queensland Raceway and Lowndes said he was confident about the biggest race on the calendar next weekend 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 third 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 Baꦍthurs🍃t.

"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 changed, the team hasn't changed - hopefully the result has not ཧchanged!"

For Fabrizio Giovanardi and♍ Marc Hynes, the Supercheap Auto 1000 presents a completely 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 Queensland 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 championsh♋ip success had been a good boost going into the weekend.

"It has been a busy time for me and very satisfying to take another title, now my focus switches to Bathurst with TeamVodafone, one of the biggest cha▨llenges 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, citing it as a race he ha💟d 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 fa📖ntastic opportunity," the Briton said. "The team knows this track like no other and I'm looking forward to working with Fabrizio and the engineers to setup the car, with a good strategy and the proven pa🌊ce we are quietly confident of a top result."