The 48-year-old is eyeing a sixth Bathurst 1000 triumph when he lines up as co-driver for flying Kiwi Matt Payne at the ever-improving Grove Racing.
Tander drove the #19 Penrite Ford during the pre-endurance test at Queensland Raceway earlier this month and was back on track Monday, steering a Grove Porsche at The Bend.
A major presence at Supercars events as part of the TV broadcast team, Tander is among the co-drivers who do not race in other categories throughout the year.
“I’m really looking forward to the endurance races,” declared Tander, whose laps at The Bend came alongside a rookie test day for the #26 Penrite Mustang of Kai Allen
“Obviously a different look to the endurance races this year, with the first time at The Bend for the 500 but also having both The Bend and Bathurst as part of the Finals campaign.
“So a little bit more pressure on the co-drivers, but really looking forward to it.”
Payne currently sits second in points and is already locked into the Finals, which kick-off following the Bathurst 1000.
However, the Finals pressure will still be on Tander as bonus points awarded for winning the Endurance Cup and positions in the standings after Bathurst will impact Payne’s tally heading to the Gold Coast.
Tander said the 500km pre-Bathurst enduro’s move from Sandown to the South Australian venue will throw a new challenge at teams.
“It’s a very different circuit at The Bend to what we’ve traditionally had for the 500 at Sandown,” he said.
“At Sandown, you use the kerbs a lot. It’s very low grip, a lot of resurfacing, quite slippery, whereas The Bend is billiard table smooth, quite fast, flowing, very much a European style of race track.
“So different demands, different requirements from the car, different requirements from the driver. The facilities are world class. I think it’s really going to suit endurance racing.”
The big focus, though, is Bathurst, where Tander can equal Larry Perkins and Mark Skaife as a six-time winner. Only Peter Brock (9), Jim Richards and Craig Lowndes (7) have more.
Tander’s most recent wins in the Great Race came alongside Shane van Gisbergen at Triple Eight in 2020 and ’22.
He walked out of the team shortly after the latter triumph for a multi-faceted deal with the upstart Grove operation that includes mentoring its young drivers.
Tander said conquering the Mountain again with such a project would be extra special.
Payne has won three times this year already and will be out to avenge a disastrous 2024 Bathurst campaign in which he caused the race’s only Safety Car by crashing out.
“The team strategically has done an awesome job over the course of the longer races, the Sunday races in the championship,” said Tander of Grove’s season to date.
“Bathurst is a strategy race, you need to make sure you get your strategy right, and the team’s been very good at that.
“Matt’s speed is very strong, so it’s a real opportunity to help deliver Matt his first Bathurst success.
“And for me, it would be really, really special to help deliver Penrite Racing a Bathurst victory.
“I’ve been part of the growth of the team over the last three or four years, so to be able to help deliver some major success at the biggest race we have in our championship, it would be very special.”
Grove’s Bend test included the latest round of data-gathering for a Supercars parity evaluation process that could prove critical to the hopes of the Ford runners at Mount Panorama.
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