Other interests make driving retirement ‘easier’ for Quinn

Tony Quinn’s vast motorsport interests have made the realisation of retirement from competitive driving a lot easier to accept.

Quinn officially announced his retirement from active competition on Speedcafe.com in recent days while he faces the early stages of a long recovery process at his Gold Coast home.

Quinn was rushed to Townsville University Hospital after a serious accident in a Porsche Payton Dixon Carrera Cup race at July’s NTI Townsville 500 which resulted in 12 broken ribs, a fractured pelvis, back fractures, two busted ankles and feet, a punctured lung, and severe external and internal bruising.

Quinn has a significant presence in motorsport, being the largest shareholder of Triple Eight Race Engineering and also owning various motorsport venues, including Queensland Raceway, Hampton Downs, and Highlands Motorsport Park

Originally from Scotland, Quinn remains the owner of Aussie Racing Cars, formerly owned Australian GT, and heads up the TQ Foundation for young drivers in New Zealand, which is supported by a growing and enthusiastic membership base.

Quinn, 65, said that all his interests and the development of the career of his own grandson Ryder have given him plenty to think about.

“It makes it easier, definitely makes it easier,’ said Quinn in reference to his vast motorsport interests.

“Ryder’s going to contest the Toyota [Racing] Series in New Zealand this summer, and that’ll give him an idea of where he stands globally. That might shape his future, whether it’s just Australia and New Zealand, or whether it’s Europe or America or whatever.

“We also have the TQ Foundation and the academy and stuff like that, and it’s really gone fantastically well, with a great bunch of people, and we’re all very proud just to be part of the foundation and the start of it, and to see where it takes us.”

Among those to benefit from the foundation are New Zealand Formula 2 driver Liam Lawson, who paid tribute to Quinn for his help.

The businessman admits he is fortunate to be in a very stable financial position and to have access to the best care available, but he has come the realisation that is the little things that count.

“I’m a lot better, and what I say to myself is, it’s one percent a day,” said Quinn.

“That’s your healing process, one percent a day. Now, you might go a week and not feel much better, but at the end of the week, you feel five or six percent better.

“So, I think if you approach it like a 100-day process – and it’s truly going to be a three-month process just to get back to manoeuvering about, and being of some use to society… I mean, all the doctors are saying it’s a 12-month process to get back to where I was, but f***, I’ll be 66 by then.

“It’s the simple things in life that you miss. I can’t walk to the front gate, to pick up the f***ing magazines that have been dropped in the letterbox, or just sweeping up the garage floor.

“I am fortunate with the financial position I am in, but the support of my partner in crime, Kate, has been absolutely brilliant.

“She has been digging and digging deep and has done an amazing job looking after me around the clock.”

As part of his rehabilitation, Quinn has made it a personal quest to increase the awareness of race belt tightness across all categories of racing.

After an evaluation of the Townsville crash, Quinn is convinced that if his belts had been tighter, then his injuries would not have been as severe.

He wants to give the campaign a title of “Buckle Up Boys (and Girls)” – “If you think it’s tight, tighten it again”.