Symmons Plains Raceway
_track_map.svg.png) Lay out of the Symmons Plains Raceway | |
| Location | Launceston, Tasmania |
|---|---|
| Time zone | GMT +10 |
| Coordinates | 41°39′34″S 147°15′10″E / 41.65944°S 147.25278°ECoordinates: 41°39′34″S 147°15′10″E / 41.65944°S 147.25278°E |
| Owner | Motorsports Tasmania |
| Opened | March 1960 [1] |
| Major events | V8 Supercars |
| Length | 2.41 km (1.5 mi) |
| Turns | 7 |
| Lap record | 0:50.16 (Alfredo Costanzo, Lola T430 Chevrolet, 1980, Formula 5000) |
Symmons Plains Raceway is a motor racing circuit in Australia, located about 30 kilometres (18.64 mi) south of Launceston, Tasmania. 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 and the V8 Supercar Championship Series. Since 2005 it has hosted the Falken Tasmania Challenge for V8 Supercars.
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, known as Brambles Hairpin, at the end of the old front straight.
The circuit
Symmons Plains Raceway is 2.41 kilometres (1.50 mi) 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.[2]
The outright lap record at Symmons Plains was set in 1980. Driving a Lola T430 Chevrolet Formula 5000, Alfredo Costanzo set a time of 50.16 seconds. The closest anyone has come since 1980 was British driver James Winslow who set a time of 50.5036 seconds on 1 April, 2012 while driving a Formula 3 Dallara F307 Mercedes-Benz.
Australian Touring Car Championship
The circuit has hosted rounds of the Australian Touring Car Championship and V8 Supercars Championship since 1969. The circuit was left off the V8 Supercar calendar in 2000 before returning in 2004 after the upgrades were completed.
Lap records
- As of 19 October 2015.[3]
| Class | Driver | Vehicle | Time | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Outright | ||||
| Formula 5000 |  Alfredo Costanzo |
Lola T430 Chevrolet | 0:50.16 | 23 March 1980 |
| Racing Cars | ||||
| Formula 5000 | Alfredo Costanzo |
Lola T430 Chevrolet | 0:50.16 | 23 March 1980 |
| Formula 3 | Tim Macrow |
Dallara F307 Mercedes-Benz | 0:50.3278 | 6 April 2013 |
| Formula 2 | Jon Crooke |
Cheetah Mk8 Judd VW Golf | 0:54.73 | 9 March 1986 |
| Formula Ford |  Richie Stanaway |
Mygale SJ09A Ford | 0:55.3004 | 31 May 2009 |
| Formula 4 | Josh Denton |
Mygale F4 Ford | 0:56.2606 | 3 April 2016 |
| Sports Cars | ||||
| GT | Bryce Washington |
Lamborghini Gallardo | 0:52.5247 | 2 September 2007 |
| Nations Cup | John Bowe |
Ferrari 360 N-GT | 0:55.3797 | 27 April 2003 |
| Aussie Racing Cars | Adrian Cottrell |
Aurion-Yamaha | 1:01.7011 | 13 November 2011 |
| Touring Cars | ||||
| V8 Supercar | Rick Kelly |
Holden VE Commodore | 0:51.4713 | 30 May 2009 |
| Group A | Jim Richards |
Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R | 0:55.97 | 10 March 1991 |
| Group C | Peter Brock |
Holden VH Commodore SS | 0:58.51 | 11 March 1984 |
| V8 Utes | Nathan Pretty |
Holden Commodore VE SS | 1:02.4588 | 3 April 2016 |
| Historic Touring Cars | ||||
| Touring Car Masters | Steven Johnson |
Ford Mustang Trans-Am | 0:56.8212 | 28 March 2015 |
| Motorcycles | ||||
| Australian Superbikes | Josh Waters |
Suzuki GSX-R1000 | 0:53.3870 | 13 November 2011 |
| 600cc Supersport | Jason O'Halloran |
Yamaha YZF-R6 | 0:55.493 | 10 September 2006 |
References
- ↑ Terry Walker, Fast Tracks, 1995, page 156
- ↑ "Falken Tasmania Challenge". v8supercars.com.au. n.d. Retrieved 2010-02-22.
- ↑ http://www.natsoft.com.au/results/
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Symmons Plains Raceway. |