Tasmania SuperSprint

Tasmania Tasmania SuperSprint
Race Information
Venue Symmons Plains Raceway
Number of times held 44
First held 1969
Race Format
Race 1
Laps 50
Distance 120 km
Race 2
Laps 84
Distance 200 km
Last Event (2016)
Overall Winner
Australia Will Davison Tekno Autosports
Race Winners
New Zealand Shane Van Gisbergen Triple Eight Race Engineering
Australia Will Davison Tekno Autosports

The Tasmania SuperSprint (formally known as the Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint) is an annual motor racing event for V8 Supercars, held at Symmons Plains Raceway in Launcestion, Tasmania. The event has been a regular part of the V8 Supercars Championship—and its previous incarnations, the Australian Touring Car Championship and Shell Championship Series—since 1969. The event was not held from 2000 to 2003 and the circuit received a A$3 million upgrade during this period.

Format

The event is staged over a three-day weekend, from Friday to Sunday. Two one-hour practice sessions are held on Friday while a fifteen-minute practice session is held on Saturday. Saturday features a fifteen-minute qualifying session which decides the grid positions for the following 120 kilometre sprint race. A single twenty-minute qualifying session is held on Sunday to decide the grid for the following 200 km race.[1]

History

When the Australian Touring Car Championship (ATCC) was first held over a series of race in 1969, Symmons Plains was included on the calendar as the final race of the series. The race would decide the championship that year, as Alan Hamilton could take the title from Ian Geoghegan if he won the race and Geoghegan failed to score. Geoghegan's car failed to start at the one-minute signal and his pit crew push started the car. This was not allowed under the regulations of the time and Geoghegan was disqualified. Hamilton ended up finishing the race in second place behind Norm Beechey, losing the title to Geoghegan by a single point.[2]

After again hosting the final round in 1970, Symmons Plains became the home of the opening round, hosting the first event of the ATCC every year from 1971 to 1981. Allan Moffat and Peter Brock were the most successful drivers at the event in this period, taking seven of the eleven possible victories between them. John Harvey scored his two ATCC victories at the event, winning in 1976 and 1979.[2] Dick Johnson joined Moffat as the only two drivers to win three consecutive rounds at the circuit.

In the late 1990s, Holden Racing Team dominated the event with four consecutive round wins from 1996 to 1999. Despite not hosting the opening round again, the Symmons Plains event remained in the early part of the ATCC calendar until 1999, when it was moved to August. The circuit was dropped from the V8 Supercars calendar for 2000.[2] The circuit received a A$3 million upgrade in 2004, which included the construction of permanent pit lane facilities and a resurfacing of the track. The V8 Supercars returned the same year with an event held in November.[3] The event was then held in November, usually as the penultimate round in the series, until 2008. For 2009, the event moved back to the early part of the season before returning to November for 2010 and 2011.[2] Since 2012, the event has been the second round of the championship. In recent years, Jamie Whincup and Triple Eight Race Engineering have dominated the event with six wins since 2007. This has seen Whincup surpass Brock as the most successful driver in the event's history.

Behind Sandown Raceway, which has hosted the Sandown 500 and Sandown Challenge, Symmons Plains has hosted the most events in championship history.[4]

Winners

Peter Brock at Symmons Plains in 1982. He would win the event that year.
Year Driver[2] Team/Entrant Car Report
1969 Australia Norm Beechey Norm Beechey Holden HK Monaro GTS327
1970 Australia Jim McKeown Shell Racing Team Porsche 911
1971 Canada Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Racing Ford Boss 302 Mustang
1972 Canada Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Racing Ford Boss 302 Mustang
1973 Canada Allan Moffat Ford Works Team Ford XY Falcon GTHO Phase III
1974 Australia Peter Brock Holden Dealer Team Holden LJ Torana GTR XU-1
1975 Australia Colin Bond Holden Dealer Team Holden Torana L34
1976 Australia John Harvey Peter Janson Holden Torana L34
1977 Canada Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Racing Ford XB Falcon GT
1978 Australia Peter Brock Holden Dealer Team Holden LX Torana SLR A9X 4-Door
1979 Australia John Harvey Holden Dealer Team Holden LX Torana SS A9X Hatchback
1980 Australia Peter Brock Holden Dealer Team Holden VB Commodore
1981 Australia Dick Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford XD Falcon
1982 Australia Peter Brock Holden Dealer Team Holden VC Commodore
1983 Australia Allan Grice Roadways Racing Holden VH Commodore
1984 Australia Peter Brock Holden Dealer Team Holden VH Commodore
1985 New Zealand Robbie Francevic Mark Petch Motorsport Volvo 240T
1986 New Zealand Robbie Francevic Volvo Dealer Team Volvo 240T
1987 Australia George Fury Gibson Motorsport Nissan Skyline DR30
1988 Australia Dick Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Sierra RS500
1989 Australia Dick Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Sierra RS500
1990 Australia Dick Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Sierra RS500
1991 New Zealand Jim Richards Gibson Motorsport Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R
1992 Australia Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Sierra RS500
1993 Australia Alan Jones Glenn Seton Racing Ford EB Falcon
1994 Australia Mark Skaife Gibson Motorsport Holden VP Commodore
1995 Australia John Bowe Dick Johnson Racing Ford EF Falcon
1996 Australia Craig Lowndes Holden Racing Team Holden VR Commodore
1997 New Zealand Greg Murphy Holden Racing Team Holden VS Commodore
1998 Australia Craig Lowndes Holden Racing Team Holden VT Commodore
1999 Australia Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden VT Commodore
2000

2003
not held
2004 Australia Russell Ingall Stone Brothers Racing Ford BA Falcon
2005 Australia Garth Tander HSV Dealer Team Holden VZ Commodore
2006 Australia Garth Tander HSV Dealer Team Holden VZ Commodore
2007 Australia Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Race Engineering Ford BF Falcon Report
2008 Australia Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Race Engineering Ford BF Falcon Report
2009 Australia Will Davison Holden Racing Team Holden VE Commodore Report
2010 Australia Mark Winterbottom Ford Performance Racing Ford FG Falcon
2011 Australia Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VE Commodore
2012 Australia Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VE Commodore Report
2013 New Zealand Fabian Coulthard Brad Jones Racing Holden VF Commodore Report
2014 Australia Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore Report
2015 Australia Jamie Whincup Triple Eight Race Engineering Holden VF Commodore Report
2016 Australia Will Davison Tekno Autosports Holden VF Commodore Report

Multiple winners

By driver

Wins Driver Years
6 Australia Jamie Whincup 2007, 2008, 2011, 2012, 2014, 2015
5 Australia Peter Brock 1974, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984
4 Canada Allan Moffat 1971, 1972, 1973, 1977
Australia Dick Johnson 1981, 1988, 1989, 1990
2 Australia John Harvey 1976, 1979
New Zealand Robbie Francevic 1985, 1986
Australia Craig Lowndes 1996, 1998
Australia Mark Skaife 1994, 1999
Australia Garth Tander 2005, 2006
Australia Will Davison 2009, 2016

By team

Wins Team
7 Holden Dealer Team
6 Triple Eight Race Engineering
5 Dick Johnson Racing
Holden Racing Team
3 Allan Moffat Racing
Gibson Motorsport
2 Glenn Seton Racing
HSV Dealer Team

By manufacturer

Wins Manufacturer
24 Holden
15 Ford
2 Volvo
Nissan

Event sponsors

See also

References

  1. "V8 Supercars Operations Manual 2016 - Division A - Administration Rules" (PDF). V8 Supercars. 23 February 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 Greenhalgh, David; Howard, Graham; Wilson, Stewart (2011). The official history: Australian Touring Car Championship - 50 Years. St Leonards, New South Wales: Chevron Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0-9805912-2-4.
  3. "Symmons Plains". RacingCircuits.info. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  4. "Fast Facts: Tyrepower Tasmania SuperSprint". V8 Supercars. 28 March 2016. Retrieved 28 March 2016.

External links

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