This weekend will see the first major national race meeting for the year take place with Race Tasmania to take over Symmons Plains Raceway.
 
Five categories will share the spotlight over the course of the three days, making it a busy weekend for many drivers, teams and fans thanks to six hours of track time each day.
 
From a national point of view, three Australian national series will begin their seasons during Race Tasmania - the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series, the S5000 Australian Drivers Championship and the Turtle Wax National Trans Am Series.
 
All three categories have significantly grown in popularity over the past three years with many talented steerers often trying their hand in each – more notably TCR and S5000.
 
In what will be its first full campaign since the inaugural season back in 2019, the Supercheap Auto TCR Australia Series enters Launceston with a healthy entry list of returning stars and new blood.
 
However, the main attraction is undoubtedly inaugural TCR champion Will Brown, who has since become one of Supercars’ most exciting young drivers, while outgoing Supercars veteran Fabian Coulthard will get his first taste of a TCR car having signed with Wall Racing.
 
The series will have two practice sessions, one qualifying session and three races.
 
As for S5000, the popular single-seater series will have just two feature races throughout the weekend as it enters its second official season.
 
Like TCR, there will be some very familiar names lining up in Tasmania, the most notable being Supercars star Tim Slade, who enjoyed some very solid opening laps in his first official run in the second Team BRM Form 700 / ALABAR entry.
 
“It’s a really fun car to drive. You know, you get a decent amount of power and I guess it probably is what I was expecting just from watching the cars previously and a bit of onboard,” Slade said post-test.
 
“I’m happy with where we are at so far. I kind of worked out pretty quickly in the first session how to, and how not to drive it. So, it’s good to find that kind of stuff early on.”
 
Slade will have his work cut out for him though with a number of new and experienced drivers part of the impressive S5000 entry list, which includes reigning champion Joey Mawson, James Golding and debutants Blake Purdie and Josh Fife.
 
Also running in the S5000 season opener will be young gun Nathan Herne, who will be busy doing double duties this weekend, with the New Zealander to steer a Ford Mustang in the Trans Am Series as he looks to defend his 2021 crown.
 
The biggest challengers for Herne during the category’s three races will come in the form of last year’s title rival in Aaron Seton, Brett Holdsworth and Victorian gun Ben Grice.
 
Although heading up a three-charge attack as part of the Trans Am Series in 2022, Grice will also be keeping an eye on one of the other two state categories on show during Race Tasmania.
 
Before competing in the national category, Grice was plying his trade in the Hyundai Excels and won multiple titles throughout his time in the popular grassroots category.
 
The Excels will be one of two local categories to enjoy five races as part of the event, with the other being the Holden HQs – another local series to have grown in popularity on the apple aisle.
 
The action gets underway from 11am AEST Friday morning, with both Saturday and Sunday's racing to begin at 10am local time. All three days finish just before 5pm.
 
The event is open to spectators with multiple ticketing options available for fans. Click here to view and purchase tickets.
 
Race Tasmania will take place at Symmons Plains Raceway on 11-13 February.