Symmons Plains Raceway is a
motor racing
An engine or motor is a machine designed to convert one or more forms of energy into mechanical energy.
Available energy sources include potential energy (e.g. energy of the Earth's gravitational field as exploited in hydroelectric power gene ...
circuit in
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, located about south of
Launceston, Tasmania
Launceston () is a city in the north of Tasmania, Australia, at the confluence of the North Esk River, North Esk and South Esk River, South Esk rivers where they become the Tamar River, Tasmania, Tamar River (kanamaluka). As of 2021, the Launc ...
. Since the closure of the
Longford Circuit in the 1960s it has been Tasmania's premier motor racing facility. The circuit is one of the longest serving circuits of the combined history of the
Australian Touring Car Championship
The Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the Repco Supercars Championship awarded the troph ...
and the
Supercars Championship
The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...
. Since 2004 it has hosted the
Tasmania Super 440 for
Supercars Championship
The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...
.
In 2004, the facility received a
A$3 million upgrade which included some modifications to the layout of the track, including moving the start/finish line back to a more conventional location opposite the pits. It had previously been on a curve (which is now located just after the first corner), unusual for a road course. Symmons Plains is also known for its extremely tight
hairpin bend
A hairpin or hair pin is a long device used to hold a person's hair in place. It may be used simply to secure long hair out of the way for convenience or as part of an elaborate hairstyle or coiffure. The earliest evidence for dressing the h ...
, known as Brambles Hairpin, at the end of the old front straight.
The circuit
Symmons Plains Raceway is long and is very hard on brakes. The banking at the hairpin is a unique opportunity to overtake. The other overtaking opportunity is the left hander at the end of the back straight.
Supercars Championship
The circuit has hosted rounds of the
Australian Touring Car Championship
The Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) is a touring car racing award held in Australia since 1960. The series itself is no longer contested, but the title lives on, with the winner of the Repco Supercars Championship awarded the troph ...
and
Supercars Championship
The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...
since 1969. The circuit was left off the Supercars Championship calendar in 2000 before returning in 2004 after the upgrades were completed.
Events
* March:
Australian National Trans-Am Series ''Hi-Tec Oils Race Tasmania'',
Australian Prototype Series
* May:
Supercars Championship
The Supercars Championship, also known as the Repco Supercars Championship under sponsorship and historically as V8 Supercars, is a touring car racing category in Australia and New Zealand, running as an International Series under Fédération I ...
''
Tasmania Super 440'',
SuperUtes Series
The SuperUtes Series (promoted as the V8 SuperUte Series) is an Australian pickup truck racing competition that was launched in 2018 as a successor to the V8 Ute Racing Series. The series' events are held as a support category to Supercars Champ ...
,
Aussie Racing Cars,
Touring Car Masters,
Super2 Series
The Dunlop Super2 Series (formerly known as Dunlop Series, Fujitsu V8 Supercars Series, HPDC V8 Supercars Series, Konica Minolta V8 Supercars Series and Konica V8 Supercars/Lites Series) is an Australian touring car racing competition, specifical ...
; Former:
*
Australian Drivers' Championship
The Australian Drivers' Championship is a motor racing championship contested annually since 1957 by drivers of cars complying with Australia's premier open-wheeler racing category. This category was determined by the Confederation of Australia ...
(1966–1967, 1969–1972, 1980, 1987, 1992–1993, 2006–2008, 2010–2013)
*
Australian Formula 2 Championship
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
(1971–1975, 1979, 1986–1987)
*
Australian Formula 3 Championship (2002–2003, 2006–2008, 2010–2013)
*
Australian Formula 4 Championship (2016, 2018)
*
Australian Formula Ford Championship (1990–1993, 1995, 2006–2013, 2023–2024)
*
Australian GT Championship (1982, 2007)
*
Australian GT Production Car Championship
The Australian GT Production Car Championship was a CAMS sanctioned national motor racing title, organised by Procar Australia Pty Ltd, for drivers of Group 3E Series Production Cars.
PROCAR had first promoted a national series for production b ...
(2002)
*
Australian Improved Production Nationals (2001)
*
Australian Mini Challenge (2008–2009)
*
Australian Nations Cup Championship (2002–2003)
*
Australian Performance Car Championship (2002–2003, 2005–2007)
*
Australian Production Car Championship
The Australian Production Car Championship is an Australian motor racing title for production car racing, production cars. The championship was first contested in 1987 and from 2008 to 2015 the title was awarded to the most successful driver in th ...
(1988–1992, 1995, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2010)
*
Australian Super Touring Championship
The Australian Super Touring Championship (formerly known as the Australian 2.0 Litre Touring Car Championship) was a Confederation of Australian Motor Sport, CAMS-sanctioned national motor racing title for Super Touring Cars.
History
Super Touri ...
(1993, 1995, 2000)
*
Australian Superbike Championship
The Australian Superbike Championship (ASBK) is a national motorcycle racing championship in Australia, organized by Motorcycling Australia.
History
The story of the Australian Superbike Championship begins in 1980, at a time in motorcycle spo ...
(1991–1994, 1996, 1998, 2006–2011, 2013, 2015)
*
National Sports Sedan Series (1976–1981, 1992, 2024)
*
Porsche Sprint Challenge Australia (2008, 2010, 2019, 2023–2024)
*
S5000 Australian Drivers' Championship (2021–2023)
*
Stadium Super Trucks
The Stadium Super Trucks (SST), formerly known as Speed Energy Formula Off-Road, also known as the Boost Mobile Super Trucks in Australia, is an American short course off-road racing series created by off-road racer and former IndyCar and NASCAR d ...
(2021)
*
Tasmanian Super Prix (2006–2008, 2010)
*
TCR Australia Touring Car Series (2021–2024)
*
V8 Ute Racing Series (2002–2003, 2005, 2007, 2009, 2012, 2016)
Lap records
From 1980 to 2021,
Alfredo Costanzo held the outright race lap record by setting a time of 0:50.16 seconds with
Lola T430 Formula 5000
Formula 5000 (or F5000) was an Open-wheel car, open wheel, single seater auto-racing formula that ran in different series in various regions around the world from 1968 to 1982. It was originally intended as a low-cost series aimed at open-wheel ...
. The closest anyone had come since 1980 was British driver
James Winslow who set a time of 0:50.5036 seconds on 1 April 2012 while driving a
Dallara F307.
Then, that outright lap record was broken in 2021 by driver
Joey Mawson
Joseph Terry Mawson (born 27 March 1996 in Sydney) is an Australian racing driver of Peruvian descent. He is the current double champion of the Australian S5000 Championship.
Career
Mawson started his career in karting
Kart racing or kart ...
. Driving a
Ligier JS F3-S5000, the Australian driver set a time of 0:49.7242 seconds. In 2022, the record was improved again by himself, by setting a time of 0:48.5598 seconds.
The 'Tassie Tin Tops' category included below is a combined closed car category not built to any specific set of regulations, it usually runs at major national meetings bringing together a collection of vehicles that usually compete in specific categories at Tasmanian State Championship race meetings, it usually includes Sports Sedans, Improved Production and Sports GT category vehicles.
As of May 2025, the fastest official race lap records at Symmons Plains Raceway are listed as:
[Natsoft Race Results](_blank)
/ref>
Notes
References
External links
Symmons Plains at MotorsportTAS.com.au
{{S5000 circuits
Motorsport venues in Tasmania
Sports venues in Tasmania
Supercars Championship circuits
Motorsport in Tasmania