Big guns back for long battle

The return of the 12-hour endurance contest is important to Australian motorsport, particularly for companies that have been excluded from the Ford-v-Holden battleground of V8 Supercar racing.

Subaru is leading the charge in the WPS 12-hour this weekend, fielding a pair of Impreza WRXs with an all-star driving crew led by rally champions Chris Atkinson and Cody Crocker.

But a privately-entered BMW 335i coupe, with a driver roster including Craig Baird and Paul Morris, is shaping as the early favourite in an event that will put a priority on strong, consistent laps and time outside the pit lane between stops for fuel and repairs.

Baird and Morris have won at Bathurst before, when they shared a 2-litre BMW Super Tourer, though they were subsequently dropped to second for a minor technical infringement.

"This weekend will be a bit of a reunion I guess, with Morris and I back behind the wheel of another BMW," Baird says.

"Winning the Bathurst event in 1997 was fantastic, but unfortunately we were disqualified soon after because I drove longer than

I was supposed to.

"Even with the history, I am looking forward to getting out there -- the track is one of those you always love the opportunity to compete on and enduros are great events."

The final field for the 12-hour runs to 35 cars, well below the track capacity but a good start for an event being rebuilt.

The last time the 12-hour was run, in the 1990s, it was a battlefield for high-priced exotics including the Porsche 911 and Mazda's RX7 turbo.

But the organisers of this year's event have gone for a more showroom-focused contest, with a tight price cap and classes that encourage everything from homegrown Ford and Holden muscle cars to Japanese four-wheel-drive turbos and new-age diesels.

It looks to be a wacky race, with all sorts of cars and all sorts of drivers lining up for the start at 5.45am on Sunday.

Holden hopes to sneak home with the VXR Astra on the strength of its reliability, fuel efficiency and a driver line-up of V8 Supercar regulars Jason Richards, Jack Perkins, Shane Price and enduro specialist Nathan Pretty.

"I'm looking forward to making two Bathurst trips in one year," Perkins says.

The WPS 12-Hour is the big event in a motorsport meal at Bathurst this weekend.

The track is allowed two feature weekends each year and had success in the past with motorcycle racing, before the original 12-hour in the 1990s and the return of racing last year.

This weekend's program includes another 11 races for everything from an entry of 55 historic touring cars to the action-packed Aussie Racing Cars.

Sideshows will include the opening round of the Freestyle Motocross Nationals and an eight-car drift battle.