They waited patiently, ready to greet Targa drivers making their way to George Town, but their patience was in vain.

Yesterday's program started with a warm-up stage at Kayena and competitors travelled there along the West Tamar Highway before continuing on to George Town via the Batman Bridge.

George Town itself was a mixture of colour and excitement.

A couple of hundred spectators gathered in the vicinity of the roundabout at the corner of Macquarie Street and the East Tamar Highway.

The freshly mown grass was awash with colour as George Town's Targa Tasmania fans showed their vehicular allegiances _ all the major marques were represented.

There were mums, dads, kids, dogs and several utes, parked rear-on to the road, sofas in the back supporting comfortable fans as they watched proceedings from their elevated positions.

However, the biggest and most vocal crowd was, as usual, gathered along the barriers of Regent Square.

Oohs and aahs accompanied every roaring V8 and screaming multi-valve powered car that passed, but roars of approval erupted for the driver of every Aussie muscle car who opted for show over speed by smoking their tyres for the crowd.

There were also cheers aplenty for the unfortunate drivers who approached the sharp left-hand turn into Friend Street from Macquarie Street before the bright red directional arrow, blown over by the wind, could be re-erected.

Deloraine father and son team, Patrick and Tyson Kearon, missed the corner by only a few metres, but the MGB of Bryan Ponting and Stacey Reynolds nearly went through two tape barriers to re-join the lower end of Anzac Drive without circling the RSL Club and its excited patrons.