But even he could not have been prepared for the disappointment he experienced at Mount Panorama last year. Tander did not even make it to the starting grid for Sunday’s 161-lap race.

After the Holden Racing Team star had clocked a best qualifying lap time of two minutes, 6.6195 seconds to earn a place in the top 10 shootout, his co-driver Warren Luff was given some time behind the wheel in the Saturday morning practice session.

But a brake failure on the Commodore left Luff out of control at the end of Mountain Straight. Luff slammed into the back of Craig Lowndes’ Red Bull Racing Commodore before both cars made heavy contact with the wall.

Luff’s Holden ended up on its side and was so extensively damaged, it was withdrawn from the race.

“Bathurst is obviously the biggest race of the year and we all put a lot of effort and operation into it. So to not get there was hugely disappointing, not only for myself and Luffy, but the team,” Tander said.

“We were going to be in the shootout and we felt like we had a pretty good car.

“Then you look at how the race panned out last year with all the controversy and changing that went on throughout the day, it was one of those races that if you kept yourself in the game, anything was possible.”

Given Tander’s impressive record at Bathurst with wins in 2000, 2009 and 2011 as well as a third placing, he is always rated a chance of getting on the podium at Mount Panorama.

That he did not get the opportunity to do so 12 months ago is most certainly a motivator for him this Sunday when he will line up for his 18th Great Race start.

“Not to be part of last year was obviously devastating,” he said. 

“So we go into this year in the frame of mind that if we make it to Sunday morning, anything that happens afterwards is a bonus. We will certainly be looking for redemption this year.”

Tander will once again have Luff as his co-driver for Bathurst, while the Commodore the pair will share is familiar too.

Well, partly familiar.

“That’s our chassis 21, which is the car that crashed at Bathurst last year. We first used it back at Eastern Creek after its rebuild,” Tander said.

“Race cars are just bits of tin and pipe, they don’t have memories, and to be honest, there’s only about 30 percent of that car left. It’s all brand new.

“It was a massive rebuilding job, the guys have done a great job with that. I am surprised that we did rebuild it.”