V8 Supercar fast facts - Symmons Plains

Symmons Plains is the shortest track on the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series calendar and 200 metres shorter than Barbagallo Raceway in Western Australia.

The venues have effectively swapped dates this year with the Tasmanian round moving from November to May.

Brief description of the circuit: A short yet fast lap characterises the Symmons Plains layout. The turn four hairpin and left hander at the end of the back straight are the two best passing opportunities. Brakes are worked very hard with drivers standing on the 'middle pedal' hard twice a lap within half a minute of one another.

Circuit length: 2.4-kilometres
Circuit direction: Anti-clockwise
Average speed: 167km/h
Maximum speed: 270km/h
Fastest Point: Back Straight
Slowest Point: Turn 4 Hairpin

10 FAST FACTS

1. While much has been made of Jamie Whincup's recent winning streak, Craig Lowndes' victories at Winton have continued a dominant performance in recent times from both TeamVodafone and Ford.Lowndes' win in Race 6 at Winton was TeamVodafone's 21st race win from the last 33 races dating back to the opening race at Sandown last year. That equates to a winning rate of 63.6% over that period of time. Meanwhile, the win was Ford's 34th race win from the last 45 races dating back to Race 1 in Adelaide last year. That equates to a winning rate of 75.5%. In the case of Lowndes, he now has 73 ATCC/V8SCS race wins, just 14 shy of the figure achieved by record holder Mark Skaife.

2. Jack Daniel's Racing's Rick Kelly chalks up his 100th V8 Supercar Championship Series start at Symmons Plains. He becomes the youngest driver to reach the century milestone (eclipsing his brother Todd for the honour) and now sits 30th on the all-time starts list, just one behind the great Allan Moffat. The 2006 V8 Supercar Champion has 10 race wins, four pole positions and 24 podium results to his credit over his V8 Supercar Series career. Hopefully his 100th goes for longer than his debut at Queensland Raceway's 500-kilometre race in 2001 given his Kmart Commodore failed at the start of the race. The two-time Bathurst winner sits fifth in the Championship with a fourth place in Race 5 at Winton his best result of the season. Note: Starts are calculated in the V8 Supercar Championship Series based on event (formerly known as rounds) starts, not individual races.

3. While Holden is yet to score a pole position in the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series, they have very good history at Symmons Plains in the area. Commodore drivers have taken all five pole positions on offer since the series returned to the circuit in 2004 after being absent since 1999. The last Ford Falcon driver to take pole at Symmons Plains was Paul Radisich in 1999 but the last one to take pole and then drive on to a race win was Tasmanian John Bowe in 1995 - both for Dick Johnson Racing.

4. Race 8 of the 2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series will be the longest Championship race held at Symmons Plains in the 37th Australian Touring Car/V8 Supercar Championship Series event at the circuit. The venue is second only to Sandown (39) for hosting the most number of series events. The 84-lap, 200-kilometre race (201.6-kilometres to be exact) on Sunday exceeds the previous longest race distance of 61 laps (146 kilometres) run in 1989. It should also see a jumbled race order given the short lap time and the differing pit stop strategies teams can choose thanks to the abolishment this year of a compulsory pit stop window. Last year's race format featured three races of 50 laps (120 kilometres) each.

5. Team Autobarn's Paul Dumbrell enjoyed his best result of the season at Winton with a fourth place in Race 6 of the Championship after he considered giving away V8 Supercars in the off-season in the wake of a serious accident that left his brother Lucas paralysed. Dumbrell narrowly missed his first V8 Supercar podium finish having led the race in the early stages on the softer Dunlop Sprint tyre. The fourth place was his best race result in 83 individual races since he took third place in Race 1 at Winton in 2006. Symmons Plains is a venue with plenty of memories for the Melbourne-based driver, who made his V8 Supercar Championship Series debut there as a 16-year-old schoolboy in 1999. The 2002 Fujitsu V8 Supercar Series Champion, Dumbrell now sits 15th in the Championship but only 42 points away from breaking into the top 10.

6. Toll Holden Racing Team's Garth Tander needs one race win to tie the late Peter Brock for winning the most ATCC/V8SCS races at Symmons Plains - Brock's record sits at seven. However the recent trend of three races over a weekend has aided the current Holden star who has won his six races over the space of three years from 2005 to 2007. Five of Brock's race wins were achieved in single-race events (1974, 1978, 1980, 1982, 1984). But if Tander can't win in Tasmania he could be leap-frogged by TeamVodafone duo Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup who have won five and four races respectively at Symmons Plains. Between them, Tander and Whincup have been the dominant forces in Tasmania over the last four years, winning 10 of the 12 individual races held. Jason Bright and Todd Kelly have been the only two men to break the stranglehold held by the duo.

7. Team IntaRacing's Marcus Marshall heads to Symmons Plains with a V8 Supercar lap record now next to his name in the record books. He broke Jason Bright's seven-year mark at Winton in Race 6 while running on the Dunlop Sprint tyre and is returning to Tasmania as the only 'local' driver given he was born in Burnie. Marshall's ninth place at Winton's Race 6 was virtually his best-ever V8 Supercar Series race result, second only to his eighth place in one of the qualifying races at last year's L&H 500 at Phillip Island. He sits 26th in the Drivers Championship. And the ex-Triple Eight Falcon he drives knows all about success in Tasmania. It is the car Jamie Whincup took to victory in the 2007 event with two individual race wins.

8. Bundaberg Red Racing's David Reynolds recorded his best V8 Supercar race finish in Race 6 at Winton with an eighth place. Aided by the strategy of using his Dunlop sprint tyres in the latter part of the race, the former Formula Ford and Carrera Cup Champion cut a swathe through the field and narrowly missed taking seventh place from Rick Kelly on the line. Originally from Albury but now based in Melbourne, Reynolds has been under the wing of Walkinshaw Racing for the last few seasons but this is his first in the V8 Supercar Championship Series after finishing fourth in last year's Fujitsu Series. He sits 17th in the Championship and is the best-placed first year full-time driver in the pointscore. Of the others Dale Wood sits 24th, Dean Fiore 28th and Tim Slade 30th.

9. Garry Rogers Motorsport driver Michael Caruso turns 26 on Monday May 25 of race week for the Falken Tasmania Challenge at Symmons Plains. His recent form has been strong however the former Australian Formula 3 Champion has slipped down to 20th in the Championship points. He led Winton's Race 5 after electing to use his 'sprint' Dunlop tyres. But a late race Safety Car brought him back to the field and he eventually finished 10th before finishing a delayed 27th in Race 6.

10. Four drivers are making their first start in a V8 Supercar at Symmons Plains. Dale Wood (Hi-Tec Oil Racing), Dean Fiore (Triple F Racing, which has switched to the #12 from Symmons Plains onwards), David Reynolds (Bundaberg Red Racing) and Tim Slade (Supercheap Auto Racing) are all having their first look at the 2.4-kilometre circuit with V8 power.

Qualifying Lap Record: Garth Tander, Holden Commodore VE, 51.5657s, 2007.
Current Lap Record: Steven Richards, Holden Commodore VZ, 52.0170s, 2005.

Previous Symmons Plains Race Winners

1969 Norm Beechey Shell Racing Team Holden Monaro GTS 327

1970 Jim McKeown Shell Racing Team Porsche 911

1971 Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Racing Ford Mustang TransAm

1972 Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Racing Ford Mustang TransAm

1973 Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Racing Ford Falcon XY GTHO

1974 Peter Brock Holden Dealer Team Holden Torana XU-1

1975 Colin Bond Holden Dealer Team Holden Torana L34

1976 John Harvey B&D Autos Holden Torana L34

1977 Allan Moffat Moffat Ford Dealers Ford Falcon XB GT

Allan Moffat Moffat Ford Dealers Ford Falcon XB GT

1978 Peter Brock Holden Dealer Team Holden Torana A9X

1979 John Harvey Holden Dealer Team Holden Torana A9X

1980 Peter Brock Holden Dealer Team Holden Commodore VB

1981 Dick Johnson Tru-Blu/Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon XD

1982 Peter Brock Holden Dealer Team Holden Commodore VH

1983 Allan Grice STP Roadways Racing Holden Commodore VH

1984 Peter Brock Holden Dealer Team Holden Commodore VH

1985 Robbie Francevic Mark Petch Motorsport Volvo 240T

1986 Robbie Francevic Mark Petch Motorsport Volvo 240T

1987 George Fury Gibson Motorsport Nissan Skyline Turbo

1988 Dick Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Sierra RS500

1989 Dick Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Sierra RS500

1990 Dick Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Sierra RS500

1991 Jim Richards Gibson Motorsport Nissan GTR

1992 Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Sierra RS500

Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Sierra RS500

1993 Alan Jones Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon EB

Alan Jones Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon EB

1994 Mark Skaife Gibson Motorsport Holden Commodore VP

Mark Skaife Gibson Motorsport Holden Commodore VP

1995 John Bowe Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon EF

Peter Brock Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VR

1996 Craig Lowndes Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VR

Craig Lowndes Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VR

Craig Lowndes Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VR

1997 Peter Brock Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VS

Greg Murphy Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VS

Greg Murphy Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VS

1998 Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon EL

Craig Lowndes Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VS

Craig Lowndes Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VS

1999 Greg Murphy Gibson Motorsport Holden Commodore VT

Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VT

Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VT

2004 Rick Kelly Kmart Racing Holden Commodore VY

Marcos Ambrose Stone Brothers Racing Ford Falcon BA

David Besnard WPS Racing Ford Falcon BA

2005 Garth Tander HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore VZ

Garth Tander HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore VZ

Garth Tander HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore VZ

2006 Jason Bright Ford Performance Racing Ford Falcon BA

Garth Tander Toll HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore VZ

Garth Tander Toll HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore VZ

2007 Garth Tander Toll HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore VE

Jamie Whincup TeamVodafone Ford Falcon BF

Jamie Whincup TeamVodafone Ford Falcon BF

2008 Todd Kelly Jack Daniel's Racing Holden Commodore VE

Jamie Whincup TeamVodafone Ford Falcon BF

Jamie Whincup TeamVodafone Ford Falcon BF

Race Wins By Driver

7 - Peter Brock

6 - Garth Tander

5 - Allan Moffat, Craig Lowndes

4 - Dick Johnson, Mark Skaife, Jamie Whincup

3 - Glenn Seton, Greg Murphy

2 - John Harvey, Robbie Francevic, Alan Jones

1 - Norm Beechey, Jim McKeown, Colin Bond, Allan Grice, George Fury, Jim Richards, John Bowe, Rick Kelly, Marcos Ambrose, David Besnard, Jason Bright, Todd Kelly

Previous Symmons Plains Pole Sitters

1969 Ian Geoghegan Geoghegan's Sporty Cars Ford Mustang

1970 Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Racing Ford Falcon XY GTHO

1971 Bob Jane Bob Jane Racing Chevrolet Camaro

1972 Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Racing Ford TransAm Mustang

1973 Peter Brock Holden Dealer Team Holden Torana XU-1

1974 Bob Jane Bob Jane Racing Holden Torana XU-1

1975 Colin Bond Holden Dealer Team Holden Torana L34

1976 Colin Bond Holden Dealer Team Holden Torana L34

1977 Allan Moffat Moffat Ford Dealers Ford Falcon XB GT

1978 Peter Brock Holden Dealer Team Holden Torana A9X

1979 Peter Brock Holden Dealer Team Holden Torana A9X

1980 Peter Brock Holden Dealer Team Holden Commodore VB

1981 Dick Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon XD

1982 Peter Brock Holden Dealer Team Holden Commodore VC

1983 Allan Grice STP-Roadways Racing Holden Commodore VH

1984 Allan Moffat Allan Moffat Racing Mazda RX7

1985 Robbie Francevic Mark Petch Motorsport Volvo 240 Turbo

1986 George Fury Gibson Motorsport Nissan Skyline Turbo

1987 Allan Grice Roadways Racing Holden Commodore VK

1988 Dick Johnson Dick Johnson Racing Ford Sierra RS500

1989 Peter Brock Mobil 1 Racing Ford Sierra RS500

1990 Peter Brock Mobil 1 Racing Ford Sierra RS500

1991 Jim Richards Gibson Motorsport Nissan GTR

1992 John Bowe Dick Johnson Racing Ford Sierra RS500

1993 Glenn Seton Glenn Seton Racing Ford Falcon EB

1994 Mark Skaife Gibson Motorsport Holden Commodore VP

1995 John Bowe Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon EF

1996 Craig Lowndes Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VR

1997 Peter Brock Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VS

1998 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VS

1999 Paul Radisich Dick Johnson Racing Ford Falcon AU

2004 Steven Richards Castrol Perkins Racing Holden Commodore VY

2005 Steven Richards Castrol Perkins Racing Holden Commodore VZ

2006 Mark Skaife Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VZ

2007 Garth Tander Toll HSV Dealer Team Holden Commodore VE

2008 Garth Tander Toll Holden Racing Team Holden Commodore VE

8 - Peter Brock

4 - Allan Moffat

3 - Mark Skaife

2 - Bob Jane, Colin Bond, Dick Johnson, Allan Grice, John Bowe, Steven Richards, Garth Tander

1 - Ian Geoghegan, Robbie Francevic, George Fury, Jim Richards, Glenn Seton, Craig Lowndes, Paul Radisich

2009 V8 Supercar Championship Series

Drivers Championship after Race 6 of 26

1. Jamie Whincup (TeamVodafone), 804 pts

2. Will Davison (Toll Holden Racing Team), 690 pts

3. Steven Johnson (Jim Beam Racing), 573 pts

4. Lee Holdsworth (Garry Rogers Motorsport), 534 pts

5. Rick Kelly (Jack Daniel's Racing), 531 pts

6. Garth Tander (Toll Holden Racing Team), 504 pts

7. Craig Lowndes (TeamVodafone), 501 pts

8. Shane Van Gisbergen (SP Tools Racing), 453 pts

9. Jason Richards (Team BOC), 417 pts

10. Fabian Coulthard (Wilson Security Racing), 414 pts

Teams Championship after Race 6 of 26

1. TeamVodafone, 1305 pts

2. Toll Holden Racing Team, 1194 pts

3. Jim Beam Racing, 957 pts

4. Garry Rogers Motorsport, 825 pts

5. Stone Brothers Racing, 807 pts

6. Ford Performance Racing, 795 pts

7. Brad Jones Racing, 795 pts

8. Jack Daniel's Racing, 783 pts

9. Walkinshaw Performance, 714 pts

10. Wilson Security Racing, 630 pts