National racing legend and Launceston product Marcos Ambrose has been thrilled with the first edition of the Garry Rogers Motorsport (GRM) Combine.
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Six promising young drivers have had the chance to learn from Ambrose and professional racers at the Symmons Plains and Baskerville circuits this week.
On Thursday they had the chance to get behind the wheel of a Mygale Formula Ford and the high-powered S5000.
"It's been a really solid week. We've got a really good rapport with these drivers that we've got, we're all getting along really well," Ambrose said.
"They're all doing a great job. They've come from different age brackets, different experience levels, they've all found their place.
"And I'm sure they've got a lot out of the week and we as a race team have actually got a lot out of it as well so it's been good all round.
"We've found a couple of guys who are probably ready to go the next level and we found a couple of guys that we want to keep our eye on. So it's just been a huge success."
One Tasmanian, Campbell Logan (Hobart), three Victorians and two NSW drivers are among the inaugural group of participants.
Ambrose, a NASCAR Cup Series race winner who came up with the program concept, saw an opportunity as he walked into the shop for the first time when he started working for GRM.
"We've got millions of dollars worth of race cars, we've got over 30 staff, we've got machine shops, we've got engine shops, we've got fabrication shops, we've got paint booths, we've got everything we need, we're a professional race team and the stuff is sitting there," he said.
"I said we've got to get the track more and more people have to try our stuff and that's really where it started."
It also comes at a time when Ambrose has been keen to give back to the sport after a decorated career.
"Australian motorsport needs it, we need to rally together to keep the next generation coming through, especially at this level," he said.
"Because it's expensive to get involved. The cars aren't getting cheaper, so how do you get the experience and time and understanding before you commit to buying a car or finding a budget to run a season? This is a great place for those guys to work out who they are, where they're at and what it's going to take."
Garry Rogers' son Barry was stoked to be trackside Thursday.
He said the inaugural program had attracted great interest and that more than 70 youngsters had applied to take part.
"It's giving young drivers an opportunity to try a variety of cars - front-wheel drive, touring cars and high-powered V8 open-wheel cars - in a controlled environment," he said.
"With the leadership of Marcos, you can't get any more experienced person in Australia to tutor these young drivers."
Rogers said it was great to be at Symmons Plains in the month leading up to Race Tasmania which is on from February 11-13. He encouraged people to grab a ticket for the event which kick-starts the nation's motorsport season.