Peter Brock’s long-standing record at Symmons Plains in Launceston will be on the line at this weekend’s V8 Supercar round.
Holden stars Jamie Whincup and Garth Tander can break the late motor racing legend’s mark with a race win in Tasmania.
The pair are level with the Brock on seven race wins at the tight track, which is celebrating its 40th year of Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercars Championship events.
The Holden Racing Teams Tander is well aware of Brock’s success here but is focused on improving on his current third place in series points after the season-opening Clipsal 500 in Adelaide earlier this month.
“I was always a fan of Peter’s so if I was lucky enough to win this weekend it would be a proud moment, but its not something Id dwell on for too long,” Tander said.
“I’ve always followed the sport and respect its history, but the personal milestones are for remembering when I’ve finished racing.
“It’s early days in this year’s title chase, we had a good start in Adelaide and our goal is to continue moving forward and win more races.”
According to Tander, while the track is the smallest the Supercars race on, it is extremely tricky and unforgiving.
“Symmons Plains is a challenging circuit, it’s short, hard on brakes and with a sub-1 minute lap time it’s easy to lose out if you make a mistake,” Tander said.
“But I think it suits my driving style and my Commodore’s setup, and given our recent form I’d like to think HRT’s in for a good weekend again.”
Whincup, the reigning series champion, is currently second in the points and chasing a fourth series title.
“Numbers don’t mean a huge amount to me right now but I’m sure they will mean everything to me later in life,” Whincup said.
“At the moment I’m still in the heat of the battle.
“I really enjoy the challenges of Symmons Plains and I’m confident if we bring our A-game to the track this weekend we can be extremely competitive.”
Ford and Holden have one win apiece after Whincup and Ford Performance Racing’s Will Davison scored at the season-opening Clipsal 500 in Adelaide earlier this month.
Davison is the current points leader.
FPR has been the dominant team this season with Davison’s teammate Mark Winterbottom winning the non-championship Grand Prix event two weeks ago.
“As a team we are looking forward to continuing the championship battle, it is nice to go to a happy hunting ground such as Symmons Plains as it gives us the confidence to challenge for a great result,” Davison said.
“Any mistake no matter how tiny is punished both on the track and in the pits so you really have to be on top of everything.
“All three FPR cars were quick there last year and were easy to drive so we are looking forward to another mistake-free weekend with a good haul of points.”
HRT is the most successful team at Symmons Plains with 12 race wins while Holden has been the dominant manufacturer with 36 race wins.
Both hard and soft tyre compounds will be used in this weekends races, the first a 120km, 59-lap race on Saturday while Sunday’s race is over 84 laps.
