Bathurst champions launch countdown to Repco Bathurst 1000

Defending Repco Bathurst 1000 champions Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander have launched the countdown to this year's Great Race.

Van Gisbergen and Tander, who won the 2020 Great race, handed over the famed Peter Brock Trophy in Sydney.

Van Gisbergen and Tander will be aiming to become the first drivers since Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup to win consecutive Great Races.

This year's Repco Bathurst 1000 will run over six days at Mount Panorama as the final event of the 2021 Repco Supercars Championship.

The event, which will be held across November 30 to December 5, will be the 64th edition of the Great Race, and 61st in Bathurst.

Van Gisbergen and Tander headlined the launch event in Sydney on Thursday, handing over the trophy to seven-time Bathurst 1000 winner Lowndes.

Via helicopter, the Peter Brock Trophy will now make its journey to Mount Panorama.

Van Gisbergen will first aim to clinch the 2021 drivers' title at this weekend's Beaurepaires Sydney SuperSprint.

"I don't really think about it until probably a week out," van Gisbergen said.

"We have some bigger problems this weekend. But in a couple of weeks, we will be heading up there and trying to do it again.

"Obviously, we have a pretty quick car this year and the same combination as last year. So we have as good a chance as anyone, but there are some fast cars this year.

"I'm looking forward to it, we missed fans there last year, so having the atmosphere of the people camping and walking around the track every night is pretty cool.

"Even all the atmosphere at the races we've been at so far as well, it's been so good to have the fans back."

Red Bull Ampol Racing teammates van Gisbergen and Jamie Whincup have been first and second in the standings since March's Penrite Oil Sandown SuperSprint and look likely to deliver a team one-two championship result.

"There's a lot of work still to do," van Gisbergen said.

"The gap may seem big, but it's not really when Jamie is close, or when Bathurst races are 300 points alone.

"I have to keep focused and keep trying to score points."

The final co-driver pairing was announced last week, with the full 25-car, 50-driver grid for the Great Race now complete.

The week-long event will also feature the Dunlop Super2 Series, Porsche Carrera Cup, Toyota Gazoo Racing 86 Series, Touring Car Racing, Touring Car Masters, S5000, GTWCA, SuperUtes and TransAm.

The race itself will commence at 12:15pm AEDT on December, which will be the latest ever start for a Bathurst 1000.

Tickets for the Repco Bathurst 1000 are on sale now.