The Tasmanian state government allocated $1.2 million for capital works at the circuit amid a three-year deal to retain the Supercars event from 2025.
Motorsports Tasmania, a not-for-profit that operates both Symmons Plains and Baskerville, has worked with Supercars and Motorsport Australia on prioritising key works.
The majority of effort has gone into improving the paddock area, which is now sporting a freshly laid blacktop and 2km of underground cabling.
Upgrades to the venue have taken place ahead of Symmons Plains hosting its 100th ATCC/Supercars Championship race at this weekend’s Tasmania Super440.
“Supercars had a wishlist of what they wanted to do for this three-year contract,” Motorsports Tasmania general manager Donald Potter told Speedcafe.
“They wanted power in the ground for the trucks, a drain for the water to get away and of course fixing the potholes that were here.
“We had all these things we needed to do for safety and the nicety of the event. The government understood that we’re trying to keep the circus coming each year.”
The new paddock asphalt – which makes up around half of the total spend so far alone – is so fresh that the circuit has requested Supercars does not place any portable buildings on it this year.
There’s also a new lift beside the pit building that will soon be up and running, while the paddock toilet block and septic system has also been updated.
Elsewhere around the circuit improvements have been made at the request of Motorsport Australia and the FIA.
“We’ve done a couple of new armco fences where old tyre walls were and the hairpin has new, FIA-approved tyre bundles,” he said.
“They also wanted the tyre barrier extended under the bridge [at Turn 3] where there was a big TCM accident last year.
“There’s a few more things out there to do, including a new flag point and some kerbing and bits and pieces, but we’ve been so focused on getting the paddock finished we haven’t gotten to that yet.
“If we’d had another month I reckon we would have had a lot more done. It’s been full-on since we started ripping things up on the fifth of January.”
There’s other improvements on the agenda too, including various repainting jobs and improving the public address system.
“We’ve spent everything the government has given us for the job, so we’re actually spending bank money now to finish it off,” Potter admitted.
“There’s a lot of things we haven’t finished, but while we’re on a roll, we want to get them finished.”
The Tasmania Super440 kicks off today with opening Supercars practice scheduled for 2pm local time.
Supercars Tasmania Super440 – Schedule, how to watch, TV times, & more
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