New major motor racing events confirmed for Tasmania in January with double-header at Symmons Plains and Baskerville

It will be non-stop action when the two-litre touring cars hit the track in Tasmania in January along with Trans Ams and V8-powered S5000 openwheelers.

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ANOTHER big sporting event will hit Tasmania early next year and inject millions into the state’s besieged economy – but a decision is yet to be made on our biggest sporting event, the V8 supercars.

Along with the annual Sydney to Hobart yacht race later next month, Australia’s newest motorsport category – the TCR Australia and Trans Am championships – will swoop on Tasmania for its opening round at Symmons Plains on the Australia Day long weekend on January 24-26 and then at Baskerville Raceway near Hobart the following weekend.

BATHURST, AUSTRALIA – OCTOBER 18: Drivers of the #97 Red Bull Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore ZB to celebrate after winning the Bathurst 1000. (Photo by Handout/Mark Horsburgh/Edge Photographics)

Motorsport Tasmania boss Donald Potter said the back-to-back race weekends would bring thousands of people into the state and inject millions into the economy as they explore the state between events.

The 2021 Supercars calendar has not been released, but the demise of the Adelaide 500 event may elevate Tasmania up one spot to round two.

“We have the supercars here and they are very popular, so to have another national series coming here with four categories is going to be a big boost,” Potter said.

“The AGR event will be bigger than everyone expects – I reckon it will knock us for six.

“We’ve been starved of large events and tourism so having something we haven’t seen before means a lot of people will want to check it out and with borders open we’ll have a lot of people heading our way.”

TCR Australia touring cars and V8-powered S5000 single seat racers will roar into Tasmania in January next year

The TRC category is for high-performance two-litre turbocharged machines.

It features Audi, Alfa Romeo, Peugeot, Renault, Subaru, Honda, Volkswagen and Hyundai cars and the likes of 2020 Bathurst 1000 champion Garth Tander, and experienced supercar drivers such as Michael Caruso, James Moffat and Jason Bargwanna.

Australian Racing Group CEO Matt Braid Tasmania was the only state to have back-to-back rounds.

“The circuits on our calendar offer our competitors a great mix of our best race tracks, including our first trip to Symmons Plains,” he said.

“We have also built in a number of contingency plans into our 2021 dates and venues, considering how quickly the world can change. This will keep us flexible and agile in these uncertain times.

“Despite the fact that our TCR cars and drivers have been parked for almost a year, the desire of teams to get back out and showcase this fantastic international touring car formula is second to none. We know they are going to produce a great show when they hit the track in Tassie.”

A spokesperson for Supercars said their 2021 schedule was a work in progress.