Australia. Arriving at Mount Panorama Bathurst is a daunting prospect. Today marked the milestone of Mika Salo’s first laps of the iconic circuit as he joined the strong and experienced crew at Australia’s premier Ferrari racing outfit Maranello Motorsport. It would be a day to learn, develop and test, a day that would end in high spirits as Danish endurance specialist, Allan Simonsen took the Il Bello Rosso Ferrari 458 GT3 entry to the top of the day’s timesheets, a positive start to a long weekend campaign. Early morning’s opening practice had the newly camouflaged Ferrari in the hands of its 2012 lap record smashing master, Simonsen starting the weekend’s sessions as the team looked to test setup and give debutant Salo maximum lap experience and local knowledge, a big ask but the Formula 1 ace would be up to the task. A quick turn-around ahead of the second practice for the day, the Il Bello Rosso crew worked with their strong driver line-up to talk strategies, further develop Salo’s knowledge of the circuit and ensuring the Ferrari 458 would return to the circuit moving further up the times. Practice two was another 50minute affair, Maranello Motorsport using the time for Salo, John Bowe and Peter Edwards to hit the track and find their connections, the sector times steadily dropping, ready for the final practice of the day. As the afternoon drew on, it would all come down to the final 50minutes, Salo comfortable with his new ride, staying in the team garage while Simonsen, Bowe and Edwards took on the challenge of the tougher than ever international field. It would take just five laps for the Dane to put the Il Bello Rosso entry into full flight, posting a 2:08.5414 on lap five as the competition tried to hunt down the now flying camouflaged exotic. Australian Touring Car legend, Bowe, and one of the most promising GT prodigies, Peter Edwards, took to the wheel to post consistent times, but Simonsen’s early efforts had been enough, securing the top spot in the times, bringing a greater confidence to the strong Australian team. Allan Simonsen “The team has had a full year of GT racing and learnt a lot more about the car. We proved that we could be fast last year, know a lot about this place and the car, and the crew have completed many Ferrari updates to keep us going for the 12 hours. “Looking at other 24 and 12 hour races, the Ferrari 458 has proven its reliability, and I think if we can continue with last year’s speed, along with some luck, hopefully the race could be ours. “It’s great to have Mika (Salo) with us, a fellow Scandinavian, we fit the same seat, and he’s a very good guy. I grew up watching F1, and was just a kid when he was driving, never having thought I would be driving with Mika. I admire everything he has done, taking in everything at the track already, and he’s enjoying it as much as anyone. I try and say what I can about the track to try and help him, there’s a limited amount of track time, but so far everyone has been in the car and done good job, so we’re well prepared.” Mika Salo “I’ve been watching videos of this place and it simply doesn’t do it any justice. It’s (Mount Panorama) just unreal when you see it in person – this circuit, I’ve never seen anything like it, and it’s probably the most difficult track to learn that I’ve seen, ever. “The whole circuit is absolutely perfect, really nice. No one single place out there is better than another. “My best laps will likely be at the end of the race. I’m learning something every lap and I’ve done only a few laps so far, but the 12 hour race with GTs is not so much long distance, it’s really a sprint race so we need to be on it from the beginning and I’m sure I’m prepared. “The whole Maranello Motorsport team is very nice, welcoming and professional - an easy team to join, with it all being new. I’ve never raced here, with any of this crew and didn’t know anyone, but it has been a good transition, I’ve been made very welcome, and we’re looking forward to a strong weekend.” Peter Edwards  “I’m coming in with more confidence and that is ultimately the key. Every time I get in the car, I can get on the pedal a little earlier and deal with a bit of the ‘wiggle’, so it really does come down to time in the car. “We (Maranello Motorsport) do a lot of track days so I get time on different tracks, casually taking the Ferrari 458 out and seeing what changes can be made. “John Bowe has been a really great teacher in terms of car setup, and giving me the confidence to push here and there. “It’s fun (driving with Salo, Simonsen and Bowe),all this is competitive but also to have fun. It’s with great people, the team gells really well and always has, so the first thing we look for is people that everyone can get along well with, work together, and have a laugh.”