Spectators will be the real winners when round four of the CAMS Australian Rally Championships races into Launceston later this week.
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Rally Tasmania will be launched at Inveresk on Friday night.
Drivers will then start their engines for two days of racing in the forests between Launceston and Scottsdale over the weekend.
As competitors began rolling into town, Brisbane-based rally driver Adrian Coppin admitted his team needed to rush out and buy gumboots to contend with the wet weather currently grappling the state.
“It has certainly been a wet welcome, but having an event like this in Tasmania I think the weather was always going to be a factor to consider,” he said.
“But it is certainly fantastic to come back to Tasmania.
“The state has a fantastic racing reputation, with the likes of Targa.
“To have the rally championships here is a great thing and I would really encourage everyone to come out and have a look.
“The organisers have done a brilliant job and it really is an event that’s about the look and the sounds on the ground.
“It is a fantastic setting and I think the local talent will be among the ones to watch.”
Launceston’s two-time Targa Tasmania champion Steve Glenney and co-driver Andy Sarandis are among a 23-strong field of racers.
Crews will enjoy more than 240 kilometres of competition, with the event marking the first return of competitive rallying to Launceston since the 1990s.
Rally Tasmania’s assistant clerk of course Matt von Bertouch said the event was a big win for Tasmania.
“There has been a big community lobbying for an event like this to come to Launceston for quite some time,” he said.
“So it is great to see it all falling into place.
“It is a very technical course and I think it will hold up to the weather quite well.
“We have tried to make the most of what we have here – for instance drivers will not be short of mountains to climb.
“It will make it all the more special for spectators and it is something certainly that Launceston hasn’t experienced for quite some time.
“We are bringing the action into the heart of the city and I think it is a really great thing for the community.”
The event is free for spectators. More information, including spectator points is available here.
Friday’s ceremonial start will commence at 6pm, followed by the Inveresk Super Special at Launceston Showgrounds from 6.15pm.
Each car will take on a 820m sprint around the roundhouse and surrounding car park, with opportunities to view each car and talk to the drivers.
Jessica Willard
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
Being a health reporter to me is about more than just reporting the problems. It's about asking why they are happening in the first place and what needs to change to fix it.
