Asked what the great race means to him - Van Gisbergen replied with steely resolve.
"300 points."
"It is a 1000km race - six and a half hours is what it usually takes. It is pretty crazy and a lot of stuff happens and you don't have an easy race.
"You just want to get through those first five and a half hours and give yourself a shot at having a crack in the final hour."
The Kiwi knows how cruel Bathurst can be. He came agonisingly close to winning it in 2014 but a minor stall when exiting from his final pit stop saw a mechanical problem ruin his race.
He says that disappointment doesn't drive him now but you get the sense that he has a date with destiny at Mt Panorama.
As a youngster Van Gisbergen remembers watching the iconic race on television and dreaming of winning there behind the wheel one day.
"Always - right from whenever I first watched it," he says.
"Every race fan wants to win at Bathurst.
"We will be right. We know we have a strong car and strong team - I just look forward to getting out there and getting into it."
The event gets underway today with practice.
