Saturday, 12h45 local time

It is, I am reliably informed, 75 years since Bentley last competed in anything approaching an official capacity on Australian soil. But this weekend the firm is back, running a pair of GT3-spec Continentals at the Bathurst 12 Hour.

Yes, you read right: Bathurst. Mount Panorama is really known for one race globally -  the annual 1000-kilometre V8 touring car thrash. But the 12-hour enduro race, which starts at sunrise on Sunday morning and finishes around teatime, is gaining popularity. Word is that most of the camping in key parts of the circuit is already sold out for this weekend, and the rest is filling up fast.

Anyway, Mount Panorama has always high up on my list of racetracks to visit, so when Bentley invited Autocar along to watch its return Down Under, I grabbed the e-ticket - and 24 hours of travelling later, I'm here.

Qualifying starts in about an hour, but I've just had a sneaky look at the circuit, thanks to Bentley factory driver Steven Kane (above) and a Continental V8 S. First impressions? The gradient and elevation of the place is extraordinary. And there appears to be but one line across the top of The Mountain, and bugger all run-off to boot. Small wonder that the Bentley drivers - many of whom have never been here before - compare the place to a 'mini-Nurburgring'.

 I'll keep updating this blog as the weekend progresses, starting with qualifying - but already there's a pretty special feeling around the place, with a mixture of old-school Aussie charm and a paddock that's rapidly filling with supercars. I have little fear that Mount Panorama is going to disappoint.

Saturday, 13h00 local time

Interesting pre-qualifying chat with the Bentley motorsport boss Brian Gush and the driver line-up from the number 10 Bentley Continental GT3, Guy Smith, Steven Kane and Matt Bell. As you may expect from endurance racers, they’re not getting too hung up on the forthcoming qualifying session - although they’re understandably keen to see how the Bentley holds up on outright pace.

Experience of Bathurst, it is fair to say, is not exactly in abundance in the Bentley team. There’s bags of knowledge from elsewhere, of course - Smith won the Le Mans 24 Hours for Bentley as long ago as 2003, for example - but the trio acknowledge that this place isn’t quite like anywhere they’ve been before.

“It’s so narrow and unforgiving,” says Smith, who will take the first stint in tomorrow’s race. “We watched as many laps as we could before coming here, on YouTube and whatever, but it can’t really prepare you for how tight it is in some places, and how much elevation change there is. The simulator gives you some idea but it doesn’t tell the full story.”