They may have toasted IndyCar success but overseas stars James Hinchcliffe and Alex Rossi admitted their first taste of the Bathurst 1000 felt like "drinking out of a fire hose".
Hinchcliffe and Rossi arrived at Mount Panorama as Great Race dark horses after accepting a wildcard entry with Holden heavyweight Walkinshaw Andretti United for Sunday's premier enduro.
However, they received a quick reality check when they finished at the back of the 26-strong field after Thursday's first day of practice.
Rossi recorded the best lap time of the pair - two minutes, 07.22 seconds - in the third and final practice stint.