Seven-time Bathurst winner Craig Lowndes will celebrate his 300th event start this weekend at a track where his mentorship under legend Peter Brock began.
Lowndes first took to Australia's most prestigious racing circuit way back in 1994, finishing second with former driver and now team principal Brad Jones.
Lowndes said ahead of his 29th consecutive start on the mountain the early memories of nine-time winner Brock stick with him closely.
"Every time we come back here it reminds me of Peter because 94' we walked in here and Peter was such an instrumental part of my understanding of this track," he said on Thursday.
"It wasn't until he sat me down and talked me through every corner of the circuit - what to look for, where to position the car, how to flow the car across the top of the mountain - up until that point I struggled.
"Until Peter did that I wasn't comfortable and now I'm doing that with Declan Fraser.
"He's picking my brain like Brock instilled in me.
"Declan's a bright young kid, very fast. He's a sponge at the moment."
Lowndes was present amongst numerous drivers at the Peter Brock display by Bathurst's main gates, where a replica Torana from Brock's 1972 win is on show.
The display is celebrating the 50th anniversary of Brock's maiden win at Mount Panorama where he went on to win another eight times.
Celebrating his own milestone, Lowndes reflected on the highs and lows across his 29 starts.
"We all come here as race drivers loving this place, the atmosphere, it's the grand final for us. It's a race that's hard to win and very easy to lose," he said.
"To rack up 300 rounds is quite special. It's probably an emphasis that I've been around for such a long time. I look quite young for 300 but it's nice to know that we've had longevity in the sport.
"It's a sport that I've loved and started at an early age. To have that career throughout is really special."
The 48-year-old quipped he remembered the bad races more than the good, even after claiming the title seven times.
But in terms of the event that stands out for Lowndes, nothing beats 2006.
"We've had some really special victories here. In 06', that was really special for me because it was the passing of Peter Brock only two weeks after that," he said.
"There's so many generations that Brock had an influence on.
"He was such an amazing person, he was a very positive person. You have a bad day, talk to him for five minutes and you feel like you've won the race."
