For the winner, it was the one of his best races, and for the third-placed driver it was one of the most difficult, according to two of the three podium drivers, who hammered their GT cars to the limit in the Highlands 101 yesterday.
Australian supercar driver Shane van Gisbergen drove the wheels off the McLaren 650S GT3 he shared with Klark Quinn to pass eventual third-place-getter Jack LeBrocq in his Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 with only three laps to go.
Van Gisbergen used the word ''awesome'' multiple times to describe his elation at claiming the 101-lap endurance win on home turf.
''That was one of the best races I've ever had. There was so much pressure,'' he said of the intense battle he had with LeBrocq and second-placed Christopher Mies, in an Audi R8 LMS GTS Ultra, over the final laps.
LeBrocq had a mirror-full of Van Gisbergen's McLaren from when the safety car last came out with 18 laps to go and described the experience as ''one of the most difficult races I've ever done''.
He deserves credit for fending off two factory drivers - Van Gisbergen (McLaren) and Mies (Audi) - in his older-model Mercedes for so many laps before finally conceding the lead.
The 101 was drama-packed, as early leaders, the Kiwi team Jono Lester and Graeme Smyth, were disqualified late in the race for a pit-stop infringement.
Southlander Inky Tulloch and Nelson's John McIntyre had a rough beginning with a half-spin and a drive-through penalty in the opening laps, because McIntyre failed to pull the tag from the car in the Le Mans-style running start to the race.
The pair powered the mighty Camaro GT3 through to 14th overall and had the satisfaction of being the first Kiwi team home.
The biggest off was when George Miedecke straight-lined his Aston Martin Vantage GT3 through a sand trap, then up over a berm, in the latter part of the race.
Pit lane attendants had a fright when Australian driver Justin McMillan's Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 burst into billowing flames when a fuel coupling failed. Fast responses from the crew with extinguishers put it out. The driver was given a medical check-up but was unhurt.
Notable retirements were Tony Quinn and co-driver Garth Tander, whose McLaren 650S GT3 had a shock absorber failure.
German Mies set a Highlands lap record of 1min 31:093sec in qualifying for the 101 yesterday.
