Symmons Plains is one of the longest serving hosts of the Australian Touring Car Championship or now known as the Repco Supercars Championship being both the closer and opening round during its early stint.
The Tasmanian circuit situated near Launceston opened in 1964 holding its first ATCC round in 1969 as the season finale won by Norm Beechey in his blue Holden HK Monaro GTS 327, but wisps of smoke were apparent as it crossed the line.
It was a tight championship battle, which fell in favour of Ian Geoghegan despite retiring. Taking pole, Geoghegan failed to start and the race began without him as the team elected to push the Mustang leading to his disqualification.
Porsche driver Alan Hamilton needed to win as he was forced to drop his worst round and due to a consistent run, he was playing catch up to Geoghegan. Second behind an ailing Beechey wasn’t enough.
In 1970, wet conditions fell in favour to another Porsche driven by Shell’s Jim McKeown as he sealed second in the title. Both Allan Moffat and champion Beechey failed to make the start due to mechanical ailments.
Symmons Plains was shifted to the season opener in 1971 a position it held throughout the 1970s. Allan Moffat made amends for his previous visit to win. The famed ‘Super Falcon’, which failed him was replaced by his reliable Ford Boss 302 Mustang as it added to its long list of wins.
Moffat made it back-to-back successes at Symmons Plains in 1972 before the next set of regulations were introduced in the form of Group C, but this didn’t change the result for Ford’s leading man.
In a Ford XY Falcon GT-HO Phase III, Moffat went on to score the illusive first ATCC crown in 1973.
Peter Brock had battled Moffat the previous season to just fall short of the title, but made the perfect start in 1974 to win at Symmons Plains as he secured his maiden championship in July.
An HDT driver repeated this in 1975, but it was Colin Bond not Brock as he secured the Symmons Plains, championship double. Brock had departed at the end of the previous year and Bond did likewise to join Moffat in the factory Ford squad
John Harvey entered as a privateer with the local B&D Autos team was victorious in 1976 and Moffat the next as the factory Ford squad dominated the year.
However, Ford’s run at the top was short-lived due to the introduction of the Torana A9X by Holden.
Brock was back with the HDT, teaming with Harvey as both won in 1978 and 1979 respectively before a new era of touring car racing was ushered in.