The Silverdome may have been devoid of spectators but not excitement at a streamlined Launceston Carnival on Monday.
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A COVID-enforced indoor venue cap of 250 people made for an eerie atmosphere but the riders still produced a good standard of racing.
Launceston's reigning Australian scratch race champions Josh Duffy and Lauren Perry waged a four-hour war with their rivals in the national track cycling program.
Both had to settle for second in the blue riband A-grade scratch races as Tokyo-bound Alex Manly, of Adelaide, and Melburnian Luke Plapp took the honours.
"I had set my sights on the big one for the day," said Plapp, who turned 20 on Christmas Day and won the Hobart Wheel on Sunday.
"I've been coming down here since under-13s, I've got family in Burnie and I love it.
"I had a year off last year and really missed it. My last track race was the world champs in Berlin in February and won't get much until Tokyo so it's good to get some racing in the legs."
Duffy reversed the positions to claim the seven-lap heart-starter but Plapp also won the points score while national sprint champion Matthew Richardson, of WA, produced an explosive final lap to take out the keirin.
Manly and Perry shared the women's A-grade titles, the South Australian adding the heart-starter to the scratch race with Perry second in both but taking out the keirin and a thrilling points score which saw the rivals level when they produced a photo finish in the final sprint.
"It's really good to get the race brain switched on," said Manly - a world championship-winning teammate of Tasmanians Amy Cure and Georgia Baker in 2019.
"It's nice that some events are running. It's been a hard year so is great that Tasmania has put something on when most other states cannot but a shame that there's no crowd here."
Dual junior world champion Perry was delighted to be getting back to her best before moving to Adelaide to join the national podium potential academy, particularly having ridden 70km with the Coffee Crawlers bunch earlier in the day.
"We've got a big road season coming up in preparation for the track so I'm trying to get in a good base block and will ride to George Town as well so that will be another solid day," said the 24-year-old.
"I was feeling a bit tired but I have good speed at the moment and it's always nice to win a kierin as an endurance rider.
"It's so good to be out on the track again and nice that the carnivals could go ahead in some form."
The carnivals series continues with running at Penguin on Tuesday before a return to cycling at George Town on Wednesday.