It may have arrived later than ever, but there is still nothing in Australian motorsport that compares to Bathurst Day and two Mount Gambier teenagers are ready to take on the mountain.

The 2021 Repco Bathurst 1000 has arrived, but before the Great Race stops the nation on Sunday afternoon, youngsters Jobe Stewart and Kai Allen will race for glory in the season finale of the Toyota Gazoo Racing 86 Series.

Although there is no championship on the line due to COVID-19 restrictions making it impossible for every driver to compete in each round, there is plenty of pride on the line across three races on the most sacred stretch of tarmac in Australia.

Aside from the chance of collecting trophies and finishing the crazy 2021 season on a high, there is no better stage to put your name on the map than Bathurst with 61st running of the event at Mount Panorama the biggest ever with 10 categories racing across six days.

Few Toyota 86 drivers are in as hot form as Stewart and Allen after both Blue Lake drivers stood on the podium in the last round at Sydney.

The pair walked on water to surge through the field in the final race where Allen claimed second, while Stewart scored his first trophy in the category.

It was Allen’s second podium appearance in as many round starts, but this weekend will be his first ever race around the mountain.

Having watched the Great Race on TV his whole life, he is eager to take on famed corners such as Griffins Bend, the Dipper and the Chase.

“I cant wait to do some laps around the mountain and have always wanted to drive there,” Allen said.

“Even just being in the paddock for the first time is a surreal feeling, so the first lap will be pretty scary and exciting at the same time I imagine.

“I reckon going through Skyline and into the Dipper will be like a roller-coaster and a challenge I am willing to accept.”

Allen carries plenty of confidence after excelling in his first weekend driving for in a new car and team which had everything from agony to ecstasy.

In the first race he threw the car onto the second row, but a nightmare start saw him swallowed by the pack before he fought back to finish sixth and second in the final two wet races.

“In the first race I pulled up to the start line, but because I have spent so little time in these cars there was a start routine which I did not know about, so I missed it which made the car go from first to fourth gear,” Allen said.

“So I had no RPM and finally got it back to second gear eventually, so the first race was a big learning curve and I learnt a lot climbing through the pacvk.

“I have never raced in conditions as wet as Sunday and it was so hard to see.

“You had to guess where you were because of the spray, but I learnt so much about the car and have made a few setup changes which might help us in the dry.”

One of the highlights of the weekend from a local perspective was watching Stewart and Allen turn the clock back to their go-kart days and race door to door at the front of the field.

Allen said it was a lot of fun.

“It was pretty cool racing Jobe and it was great to see the young Mount Gambier kids at the front of the field,” he said.

“Because it is hard to pass in the wet you have to change your driving style and we had a few bumps which is racing.

“Congratulations to Jobe on getting his first podium because he did a wonderful job all weekend.”

Although Allen is still finding his feat in the series and his new environment having switched from multi-car operation TekworkX Motorsport to single-car team Norwell Motorplex Racing.

But he has one of the best in the business by his side in Paul Morris, who alongside Chaz Mostert went from the back row, into the Griffins Bend fence to victory in one unforgettable Great Race in 2014.

The youngster also had Supercars co-driver Kurt Kostecki as an engineer in Sydney, but he wont be in the garage this weekend.

Allen said they have been brilliant support networks as he takes on more responsibility each race.

“The feedback Kurt and Paul have given me on the radio has been really cool and they helped me get the car dialed in for Sydney,” he said.

“I have been working on the car a lot more which helps me a lot because this year is all about learning.

“I went for a drive around the track with Paul and he showed some areas where I can pick up time.

“I have no expectations and will just try to learn as much as I can.”

Stewart is no stranger to the mountain having raced the circuit in last year’s season finale and this year’s season opener.

With plenty of experience from not only racing at Mount Panorama, but also the high of a maiden podium in his last race, the softly spoken driver is coming in with more confidence than ever.

“I have not been anywhere near the top five before, so proving the car and myself are capable of podiums in Sydney was a massive confidence booster,” Stewart said.

“It takes a lot of confidence to go over the top (of the mountain) in the Toyota because it is almost flat out and pretty sketchy.

“My goal is to get at least one more podium and hang around the top five again.”