A Ford driver until switching allegiances late 2018, the 2015 Supercars champion has experienced both sides of a rivalry which has been a mainstay of Australian motorsport for decades.

Speaking ahead of the Tasmanian round of the championship from April 3-5, the 38-year-old said Holden's demise would change but not crush the Supercars industry.

"There's no doubt it has an impact, [Holden is] one of the biggest, most iconic brands," Winterbottom said.

"They're something we've all got history with, whether you've owned one, worked on one, looked at one, hated one - whatever it is, we've all got history.

"Our sport revolved around Holden v Ford but with [problems] come solutions - it's sad news but the sport's already thinking about what's next.

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"Thankfully our sport has gone past the manufacturing days a little bit, but it's still going to have an impact there's no doubt."

Winterbottom enters March's Melbourne 400 in eighth place on the championship table following the opening two rounds in Adelaide.

A stage winner at Symmons Plains in 2010 who has graced the podium on 15 other occasions, the Irwin Racing driver will make his 17^th appearance in Tasmania in April.

Winterbottom credited Tasmanian fans as giving as good a welcome as any motorsport fans in the country.

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"I love the support it gets - it's the biggest-attended sporting event in Tassie," he said.

"Rain, hail or shine, people bring a poster up to get you to sign it and when it's raining the texta goes straight through it and it disintegrates.

"They still try and pick it up - they just live and breathe it and there's a sense of appreciation when you come to Tassie.

"Everyone gets behind it and they appreciate you being here. It's a really nice feel and we don't get that everywhere - I love the culture of what they have down here."

Winterbottom's love for Symmons Plains is shared by Ned Racing's Andre Heimgartner, who partnered the former on a tour of Hobart schools earlier this week.

"I think the simplicity of it makes it very challenging," the 24-year-old Kiwi said of the Symmons Plains course.

"To have so little corners and so many cars it makes it quite exciting and if you make one little mistake in qualifying you're down the back and because it's so close it's so hard to pass."