The 30th Targa Tasmania car rally has kicked off in northern Tasmania, with a ceremonial start to the event before competitors take on stages in Hillwood and George Town.
It is the first time the event has been held since the deaths of three competitors in the space of two days last year.
Sweeping safety changes were introduced for this year's event, including speed limits.
Competitor Shane Navin died when his car crashed on a wet road at Mount Arrowsmith near Strahan in April.
The next day, Leigh Mundy and his co-driver Dennis Neagle were killed when their car hit a dip in the road and crashed into trees at Cygnet, in southern Tasmania.
Motorsports Australia investigated the deaths and handed down 23 recommendations, including changes to race routes, reducing speeds on some sections of the course, and reviewing telecommunications capacity.
Event director Mark Perry said 21 of the recommendations had been adopted to "make the event safer".
Two other recommendations are the responsibility of Motorsport Australia, not Targa Tasmania organisers.
The event will no longer be run at unlimited speed, instead, an effective speed limit of 200 kilometres per hour has been introduced.
The fastest Targa Tasmania competitors have previously been clocked at speeds of up to 250kph on Tasmanian public roads.
The changes to speed limits have already been trialled at other Targa events in Queensland and Victoria.
Organisers have also made changes to the course so drivers do not get complacent, reducing speed limits in some areas and ensuring drivers can inspect the track before racing.
More zones to limit speed introduced
Mr Perry said they had also reduced speeds on crests, jumps and dips that could make cars airborne.
"Anywhere where a car can get airborne, and the other big one for us, which didn't play out in these fatalities but we recognised in the review, are dips in the road, because that can also send them airborne," he said.
"The reality is they're all now covered with zones which slow the cars to less than 80 kilometres an hour over those sections."
As a navigator, Launceston's Barry Oliver competed in Targa Tasmania 26 times and won a record eight titles.
He said the organisers had identified stages that were particularly fast sections.
"Basically, it means they travel at a maximum of 60 kilometres an hour and if you get out of that 400-metre zone before you've completed the time that's been nominated — then you're penalised.
"Those are on stages where they are considered to be too fast and very dangerous and there are going to be 34 of those zones, so effectively, it's going to be impossible for those cars to get to 200 kilometres [per hour] anyway."
Last year, the course only had 12 zones that restricted speed.
First two stages to be held north of Launceston
About 500 cars are taking part in this year's event — a record field to mark the race's 30th year.
Targa Tasmania driver Casey Price said she was looking forward to the six-day tarmac rally.
Price is a member of one of just two female-only teams.
She told ABC Radio Hobart the first two stages would be held north of Launceston.
"The first one is Hillwood and that's designed to be a warm-up so that all the teams can get their eye in and warm up the vehicles before we go to the super stage, and that's going to be George Town."
The six-day tarmac rally finishes in Hobart on Sunday.
