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A year after he survived a huge accident in the Porsche Carrera Cup Championship, Tony Quinn will be back and racing on the streets of Townsville on July 7-9.
The 65-year-old racer, multiple track owner, part Supercar team owner and motorsport enthusiast will compete in round five of the Battery World Aussie Racing Cars Super Series – the category he has owned since 2012.
Quinn suffered eight broken ribs, five fractured vertebrae, a punctured lung, a broken leg and a broken foot when he crashed into the concrete wall at Turn 10 on the Reid Park circuit. He spent more than a month in the Townsville University Hospital in his initial recovery.
“It’s a little spooky to be heading back to Townsville, but I have my reasons for going back there,” said Quinn on his impending return.
“I just want to take Dr Soong out to dinner. He looked after me in intensive care and kept me sane. The ICU is a place where you can easily go insane.
“I’m going to be driving the Aussie Racing Car. I’m not going to be racing it. You’ll see me near the back of the field, just having a good time. My main aim for the weekend is to stay out of trouble and stay very, very far away from the concrete wall.”
His passion and desire have seen him contest a several events through his recovery this year. He has competed in New Zealand and Australia in his Porsche Cayman GT4.
“Twelve months on, I can move around without any assistance. Sometimes I feel like I look like a penguin when I’m walking, but I’m getting better and better, and hopefully in a few months, I’ll be back to how I was before the accident.
“I’ve really enjoyed coming back to racing after my accident. I think before it, I’d had enough. I was fed up with racing at the level I was at. Now I go to the tracks, and I just drive around. I just like speaking to people, saying hello and enjoying the experience. It’s now a hobby and I’m enjoying it more than ever.”
The Battery World Aussie Racing Cars Super Series will contest four races over the three-day NTI Townsville 500 weekend, with one race on Friday and Saturday followed by two on Sunday.
