But in a normal year, there's no way Raphael Willersdorf would have won the motor racing lottery by being amongst the thick of the action for Shane van Gisbergen and Garth Tander's Bathurst 1000 victory on Sunday.

Some Wagga TAFE automotive apprentices are usually sent to Mount Panorama to assist with non-sponsored teams, but the COVID-19 situation meant they were allocated to the big-name outfits this year.

Second year appentice Willersdorf was able to assist the Triple Eight Race Engineering pit crew with some general duties, and observed how a professional team handles the pressure of Australia's greatest race.

He said it was a thrill to play a small part in van Gisbergen's first Bathurst 1000 win, after he and Tander combined to finish second last year.

"I was mainly just cleaning the cars and the tyres, sweeping the floors and keeping everything clean," Willersdorf said.

"They gave me free range around the cars in climbing underneath them, asking why they do certain things, it was pretty cool.

"It was probably a bit more hands on than what I thought it would be. They were so welcoming and made me feel a part of the team. It was cool enough to go to Bathurst and be part of a team, but to with the winning team (was great).

"Those last five laps, my heart was pumping and I was willing them to stay in front. Just to say in a small way I helped out was a highlight."

"I didn't know how involved I'd be but I was right amongst it, Jamie Whincup was there and Craig (Lowndes) too. To see the drivers just being themselves behind the scenes, it was an unreal experience."

Wagga TAFE third year auto electrician Robert Allen was assigned to Chaz Mostert and Warren Luff's Holden team, which also finished on the podium in third.

He said the fact pit crew sizes had been reduced from 30 to 13 for each team due to COVID-19 helped him get a chance to get his hands dirty.

"I was doing a fair bit of work changing tyres and helping the guys in the practice sessions, and after practices I was changing engines out and transmissions," he said.

"The pace of the days was really strange, you'd go from it being absolutely mental when the car came in for a couple of minutes, then sitting down for half an hour.

"I was able to have the ear phones to listen to their crew during the race, so they were always relaying what other teams were doing and urging everyone to match that.

"I really enjoyed the engineering that went into the cars themselves and the new technology coming into it."

The pair were part of a six-person group from Wagga TAFE.

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