Benalla's Best ready for challenge of Adelaide 500

“I’m making sure to drink lots of water, as you really sweat it out in the car. It can be 40 degrees, but inside the car, it's going to be 60-70 degrees,” Best said.

It’s been a big off-season of change for the teen, who last year graduated high school and started full-time work with the family business, Best Leisure Industries.

But it's a return to the pit, and a step up in the ranks of competitive racing, that has Best most excited about the year ahead.

“I haven’t been in a car since September. It’s been a long wait,” he said.

Following his promotion from the Super3 Series after a two-year stint, Adelaide will be Best’s first opportunity to test himself against new and existing rivals.

“It’s definitely a big step up from Super3,” Best said.

“Most of the guys I was racing up the front with (in Super3) are coming up as well.

“The competition will definitely be tougher, but you only get better by racing guys quicker than you.

“You’ve got to keep moving up and moving forward.”

With the field narrowing from 30 drivers to 15, while there may be less competition on the track, there will be far less margin for error.

Testing his new car, the Nissan Altima L33, at Winton Raceway's two-day Test and Tune last week, Best said it would take some time to fully grasp his new wheels.

“It’s a learning curve, with all the new techniques with a new car,” he said.

“But we’re getting on top of things slowly. You just need to do laps; that’s all you need to do to get faster.”

Best, who remains with MW Motorsport, was also realistic about his goals and expectations for the upcoming year, shying away from outright wins and podium finishes — though that will be in his sights later on, he said — and instead focusing on the newly introduced Rookie of the Year award worth $100 000.

And it could well be this weekend’s race that sets him on his path, with the risk and reward factor of the Adelaide 500 likely to come into play.