Attendees at the recent Queensland Raceway round of the Repco Supercars Championship may have spotted Quinn with Josie Spillane brandishing a piece of paper with ‘Project 29’ and the Highlands logo.
Spillane is the CEO of Quinn’s circuits – Hampton Downs Motorsport Park, Taupo Motorsport Park, and Highlands Motorsport Park.
Highlands was beaten by Ruapuna Motorsport Park in Christchurch for the first South Island round of Supercars in 2026 on a three-year deal. That leaves the door open for a switch to Highlands from 2029, something Quinn says Spillane is pushing for.
“She is one of the best people I’ve ever employed, and she’s the CEO, so her mission – it’s her mission, not mine – is to get the V8s to come to Highlands in 2029,” Quinn told Speedcafe.
“So that’s her Project 29. It’s maybe a tall order, I don’t know, but there is a lot of water to go under the bridge between now and then.
“I think the V8s are in a good place. I think that if James (Warburton, Supercars CEO) can get permission and get some wind in his sails, I think he’ll do a far, far better job than has been done in the last five to 10 years.
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“I’m all about supporting people that want to do shit, so Josie’s working on that one. That’s Josie’s Project 29.”
Quinn commended Spillane for getting on the front foot with her vision.
“She’s putting out there, she’s telling you fair and square that that’s what she wants to do. So we’ll see,” said Quinn.
Spillane recently visited One Raceway in New South Wales. Quinn said the Highlands model was attractive to new and existing circuits in Australia.
The three New Zealand circuits have a variety of arrive-and-drive membership models, with onsite accommodation and car storage.
There are several circuits in Australia following suit with resort-style facilities.
“Josie has been talking to some of the tracks over here, like One Raceway. They’re trying to find out how to do it, the way we’ve done it, or give them clues,” said Quinn.
“We’re very open. We tell them what we do and how we’ve done it and wish them all the best.
“But they’ve got to acknowledge that Highlands is a wee bit of a special place. It’s not just a racetrack, it’s a different kind of environment, but we’re there to help whoever wants to listen.”
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