Symmons Plains Raceway ...

For further information the MST General Manager (Dick Caplice) can be contacted via:

Address: 134 Davey Street Hobart TAS 7000
Phone:    (03) 62244134
Fax:        (03) 62244138

Email:        This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Overview 

 Symmons Plains International Raceway is located on Midland Highway some 30km south of Launceston.

The track is known for several interesting features including its very long back straight with a kink, its extremely tight hairpin bend at the end of the front straight and the unusual placement of the original start/finish line and grid that was on a curve.

Facilities 

Symmons Plains recently received a $3 million upgrade, including state of the art pit facility with fully air-conditioned corporate suites and conference rooms of varied sizes, eg.100sq/m, 300 sq/m & total under roof area of 2520sq/m. This facility now represents one the best motoring event facilities anywhere in Australia, ideal for any automotive activities such as manufacturer vehicle launches etc.

 History

 Symmons Plains International Raceway opened in 1960 and after the closure of the Longford road circuit quickly established its own reputation as Tasmania’s home of touring car and championship motor racing.

From 1969, the very first year that the Australian Touring Car Championship was held over a series of rounds, until 1999 Symmons Plains hosted a round of the Championship, and while the cars and drivers in that championship changed, the importance of the event never diminished.

Initially Symmons Plains hosted the final round of the championship, but after a few years this event moved to what was a traditional northern motor sport weekend first started at Longford, in early March.

Names like Bob Jane, Allan Moffatt, Norm Beechey, Ian ‘Pete’ Geoghegan, Jim McKeown, John Harvey, Peter Brock, Colin Bond, Allan Grice, Jim Richards, Alan Jones, George Fury, Larry Perkins, Tony Longhurst, Glenn Seton, John Bowe, Mark Scaife and Craig Lowndes, to name but a few.

From cars of the Australian Touring Car Championship have gone through various eras;

• Like the famous Mustangs of Geoghegan and Moffat, Jane’s Camaro, McKeown’s Porsche,
• The Falcon verses Torana era,
• The international Group A rules with Ford Sierra Cosworth turbo, BMW 3-Series and Nissan Skyline
• To the current V8 Supercar rules with Commodores and Falcons