AMIDST the revised, revamped 2020-21 Australian Motor racing calendars confirmed across the last fortnight, a gem of an idea for a Tassie double-header stands out as something truly unique.

WORDS: Richard Craill

BE HONEST and put your hands up if, once the thrill of knowing we were actually going back racing had subsided, you weren’t just a teeny bit ‘meh’ about the revised Australian racing calendars announced over the last fortnight.

It’s not that they are bad, not even slightly: the effort involved in even getting to the point of having something resembling firm dates at this point has been enormous and should be applauded.

And there are so many things to take into account; travel times, TV deals, commercial arrangements, costs and more. We get that.

But for those who were looking for the sport to use this opportunity to think outside the square and try something different – what better excuse do you need than a global pandemic, after all – the reality was just more of the same i.e. no mid-week races or no left-field venues or other interesting things.

It is, of course, true that we do not yet know race formats so there’s still time for us to be surprised.

Honestly, it may sound like it but I’m not trying to be a critic; it’s nice to know that we can get back to some form of normalcy via the sport we all love.

Sometimes it’s just frustrating (hello, Mercedes – opposing F1’s reverse-grid plan) that we can’t break the mold and try really different things that could stimulate and elevate the sport away from the norm.

Having said all that, one of the pleasant surprises of the revised schedule, be it Supercars or ARG / Shannons, is news of a two-week jaunt to Tasmania next January.

What a cracking idea!

Tasmanians are a passionate lot when it comes to motorsport – they get it. They don’t complain (at least not that we see) when Targa rolls into town and they support the annual Supercars trip to Symmons Plains well enough to make it the region’s largest sporting event each year.

It’s always been great to go racing on the Apple Isle but the costs of sending the circus over Bass Straight have always made it prohibitively expensive for most categories to do it for more than one year at a go – which is why the support cast at the Tassie Supercars round is always slim and why the Shannons Nationals haven’t been there in years.

In this case, however, it’s clear that deals have been done to make it as affordable as possible for competitors and, what’s more, amortising the costs over two events is an even smarter move.

Starting at Symmons Plains makes sense, and running on Australia day is an interesting idea. Racing on a public holiday is a no-brainer – they’ve been doing Cricket on Australia day for decades – but the fact it falls on a Tuesday next year makes it something even more different.

Mid-week racing is, it seems, a thing and plenty of people will be watching to see how it all goes with TV and with people coming to the track.

Symmons Plains is also a bloody good ‘wings and slicks’ track; Australian Formula 3 was at its best there and there’s no reason to expect that it won’t make the VHT S5000 Australian Drivers Championship finale’ something truly spectacular, as well.

It could even see some history made; the great Alfie Costanzo set the outright lap record at the circuit 40 years ago this March; if anyone is going to go quicker than a 50.16 at Symmons Plains, you can bet it will be an S5000 racer..

As an aside, it’s easy to think that TCR would be quite good fun there as well.

The whole two events thing is a masterstroke, too; adding Baskerville to the tour is a sensational idea and long, long overdue.

The circuit just outside of Hobart is a cracking little track, full of undulation and some quite quick bits of tarmac; some say it’s like Amaroo Park used to be, while some call it a mini Bathurst which strikes me as high praise.

Either way, heading there is a brilliant move; Hobartians have always had to drive North to get their fix of truly national level motorsport (as good as the Baskerville Historics are) so they’ll love the fact they can get it in their own backyard and avoid heading to Launceston which, I am told by Tassie relatives, they hate.

Add in the TCR decider, some Trans Am competition and S5000 demonstrations and, assuming large gatherings are allowed by that point, it could be the biggest thing Hobart has seen since the Hurricanes came to town in the Big Bash.

The track has been recently resurfaced and looks excellent and it is going to generate plenty of goodwill from the local fans and media, I’m sure. And Tassie in January will be bloody spectacular, away from the furnaces of the mainland capital cities.

It’s the perfect place this side of the Tasman to run racing in Summer.

Finally, given the current international travel restrictions that are unlikely to easy any time soon, this strikes me as a great opportunity for some motorsport-themed tourism in our own backyard.

What could be better than catching the Spirit over from Melbourne to head to Symmons Plains, before spending the next few days winding your way down the West cost – via the best Targa roads, of course – before you end up in Hobart for some more racing a few days later.

The Race Torque did just that back in 2012 and while you do turn left a lot, and you do get a touch of scenery overload, it was outstanding.

So this trip will be good for the local economy, good for the sport and I bet good for your soul, too.

This is one of the best things to come out of the enforced shutdown and subsequent restructure of Australian Motorsport thanks to Covid-19.

Here’s hoping it’s well supported, because it could become a long-term staple in our game. And I’d be fine with that..