Bathurst 1000 behind the scenes

As the rest of Australia winds down for the weekend, Bathurst is ramping up for its biggest event of the year.

More Bathurst 1000 goodness

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The Supercheap Auto Bathurst 1000 is undoubtedly one of the premier sporting events on the annual calendar, and even if the average Supercars round is seeing a dip in numbers, Bathurst never fails to live up to the hype.

On a cool, overcast October day, tens of thousands of fans have flocked to Mt Panorama, where dominant outfit DJR Team Penske is ready to set the place alight.

Team insiders tell us that all of the team members have had a screensaver on their computers since March, with a map of Mt Panorama emblazoned with the word 'Focus'.

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The DJR Team Penkse huddle

"All Scott [McLaughlin] has wanted to do this year is to win Bathurst," said our insider. "If we arrived here with a big enough lead, then he was going for it. And he's going for it."

The young Kiwi is a firm fan favourite, with people lining up for three hours to get a signature on a shirt. The crowd is huge but respectful, and Scott does his best to sign everything - to the chagrin of his minders (below)!

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Track times continue to tumble. A Dunlop tech tell us that the resurfaced track has now bedded in; "but the cars are damn fast, too," he added.

The barriers have reached out for a few people, too, including favourites Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes. Whincup hit the wall avoiding another crashing car, but the team got the Commodore repaired in time for qualy.

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A similar amazing recovery story comes from the Erebus garage, with the Penrite Commodore of David Reynolds and Luke Youlden back in the running after a huge crunch on Thursday.

There are whispers that the team received help from other squads, including Ford!

Stay tuned to WhichCar's social feeds, including our Facebook page, for more updates throughout the weekend.