Hinchcliffe and Rossi at real disadvantage for Bathurst
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| Rossi sits in the Holden before he wadded it up testing at Winton |
Technically they are Bathurst 1000 wildcards. Their car is inferior, they are driving a saloon car instead of an open wheel car, they have to shift with their left hand and they are sitting on the right side of the car – nothing they are familiar with. Their chances of victory will depend on a whole lot of luck.
But IndyCar drivers James Hinchcliffe and Alexander Rossi should also be considered dark horses for this weekend's Great Race, says Supercars star Chaz Mostert.
The odds appear stacked against Hinchcliffe and Rossi after they snapped up a Bathurst wildcard entry offered by Holden heavyweight Walkinshaw Andretti United.
Hinchcliffe last got behind the wheel of a Supercar back in 2012 on the Gold Coast while Rossi has never raced in the category, let alone seen the notorious Mount Panorama track.
And alarm bells seemed to be ringing for the IndyCar stars after it emerged Rossi ran off track at Supercars testing at Winton last week, cutting short their three-day session by 24 hours.
But 2014 Bathurst champion Mostert said he had seen enough at Winton to suggest rivals will be nervous when the pair combine at Bathurst for the first time this week.
"I saw them whizzing around and braking where you want to be braking and not looking like they were having any problems," Mostert told speedcafe after watching their testing session.
"You can't really count those guys out. They're going to be in the mix, there's no doubt about it.
"The experience these international guys are bringing there, they've been in high pressure situations their whole career.
"They could definitely be the dark horse, (cause) the upset there for sure."