The big winners from Symmons Plains' first 49
Next weekend’s NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint will be a special one for Symmons Plains, which hosts its 50th ATCC/Supercars round.
The 2.4km bullring first hosted a championship round in 1969, and has only missed out due to renovations (2000-03) and COVID-19 (2020).
Only Sandown Motor Raceway, with 52 rounds, has hosted more championship events.
How do the record books look ahead of Symmons Plains' milestone 50th round? Supercars.com runs through the key statistics.
Most race wins (drivers)
Jamie Whincup dominated on Tassie soil, winning 13 times in 32 starts between 2007 and 2021. All wins came with Triple Eight.
Craig Lowndes won five times — five for Holden Racing Team, and five for Triple Eight.
Of current drivers, Shane van Gisbergen has the most wins with seven, having won five of the last seven dating back to 2019.
13: Jamie Whincup10: Craig Lowndes7: Peter Brock, Shane van Gisbergen, Garth Tander5: Allan Moffat4: Dick Johnson, Mark Skaife3: Glenn Seton, Greg Murphy, Fabian Coulthard
Most race wins (teams)
Symmons Plains has been owned by Triple Eight ever since Whincup first won there on the Sunday in 2007.
Since that day, Triple Eight has won 25 of the last 36 races at Symmons Plains, including 16 of the last 20.
Second overall is Walkinshaw Andretti United, which won 12 races under the Holden Racing Team banner.
Chaz Mostert famously broke through for WAU for the first time at Symmons Plains in 2021.
25: Triple Eight Race Engineering13: Holden Racing Team/Walkinshaw Andretti United7: DJR/DJR Team Penske, Holden Dealer Team6: HSV Dealer Team5: Gibson Motorsport, Glenn Seton Racing, Allan Moffat Racing
Most race wins (models)
Holdens dominated at Symmons Plains, and no model can rival the record of the VF Commodore.
Between 2013 and 2017, the VF won 12 of 13 races, its only defeat its last ever race to Fabian Coulthard and the FG X Falcon in 2017.
12: Holden Commodore VF9: Holden Commodore ZB5: Holden Commodore VZ, Holden Commodore VS, Ford Sierra RS5004: Holden Commodore VE II, Ford Falcon BF, Holden Commodore VR
Wins by brand
Holdens won 64 per cent of all races at Symmons Plains — 58 out of 90.
The brand first won in 1974, five years after the first round at Symmons Plains — but dominated much of the 21st century, mostly thanks to Triple Eight.
58: Holden27: Ford2: Nissan, Volvo1: Porsche
Most podium finishes
No surprises here — Whincup knew how to bring home a trophy at Symmons Plains.
Only Whincup, Peter Brock, Lowndes, Mark Winterbottom and van Gisbergen have scored 10 or more podiums.
20: Jamie Whincup15: Peter Brock12: Craig Lowndes11: Mark Winterbottom, Shane van Gisbergen10: Will Davison9: Dick Johnson
Most race starts
Winterbottom brought up 600 starts in Perth last month, and is looking to hit 49 starts next weekend.
Remarkably, Winterbottom has won just one race at Symmons Plains, in a thrilling affair in 2010.
Lowndes and Jason Bright started 44 races, with Tander and Russell Ingall 41.
James Courtney and Will Davison can end next weekend equal third on 42 starts, with van Gisbergen set to hit 40 starts.
46: Mark Winterbottom44: Craig Lowndes, Jason Bright41: Garth Tander, Russell Ingall39: James Courtney, Will Davison, Rick Kelly38: Jamie Whincup37: Shane van Gisbergen, Lee Holdsworth
Youngest winner
Rick Kelly: 21 years, nine months, 27 days
Kelly won on his Symmons Plains debut in 2004 as a 21-year-old — but never won in Tasmania again.
Then a two-time Bathurst winner, Kelly’s record still stands. Broc Feeney and Matt Payne can both break Kelly’s record should they win next weekend.
Oldest winner
Peter Brock: 52 years, 1 month, 10 days
The last of Brock’s seven Symmons wins in 1997 came in the late legend’s final season as a full-time driver.
Brock won the first 1997 race, 23 years after he won at Symmons Plains in 1974.
Lowndes scored the last full-time solo win of his career at Symmons Plains in 2018, albeit at the tender age of 43 years, nine months and 18 days.
The 2023 Repco Supercars Championship will resume at the NED Whisky Tasmania SuperSprint on May 19-21.
Tickets for the event are on sale on Supercars.com and Ticketek.com.
