Motorsport identity Tony Quinn's road to recovery after 147kph crash

Friday, 21 October 2022

The owner of Highlands Motorsport Park, Hampton Downs and Taupo Motorsport Park Tony Quinn is looking forward to visiting New Zealand early in 2023.

New Zealand motorsport identity Tony Quinn doesn’t remember the moment his Porsche smashed into a concrete wall at 147kph.

But the pain of recovery from eight broken ribs, five fractured vertebrae, a punctured lung, a broken leg, a smashed ankle and a broken foot has been very real.

“It was such a traumatic thing,” the 65-year-old, who crashed into the wall during the first lap of the Porsche Payton Dixon Carrera Cup race in Townsville on July 9, said.

“The whole left side of my body was smashed up. It’s painful and sore, and you can’t do the things you want to do any more.”

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Quinn in July, when he was first admitted to Townsville Hospital's emergency department following a high speed smash while racing.

Speaking from his Gold Coast home, Quinn said he was now able to walk on one crutch and had passed the significant milestone of being able to wipe his own backside.

He has even driven to his office.

Quinn uses crutches for the first time after the high speed car crash.

“I hope to be racing in a very low capacity in New Zealand in January/February. It will be small, non-competitive stuff – just driving a car around a track.”

It would be a year before he would know the full extent of any ongoing health issues, but the crash had signalled the end of his career racing in the high commitment GT3, or Cup Grand Touring Cars, he said.

“I have to hang up my boots some time and this has just helped me come to the realisation of sooner rather than later.”

Quinn, pictured with partner Kate, is discharged from hospital three weeks after the crash.

However, he would remain a big player in motorsport.

A Scotsman who grew up in a wooden caravan in Aberdeen before making a fortune in pet food in Australia, Quinn owns the Highlands, Hampton Downs and Taupo motorsport parks in New Zealand.

He also owns the Queensland Raceway in Australia and 40% of Supercars powerhouse Triple Eight Racing alongside Jamie Whincup and Jessica Dane, who is dating the team’s top driver, Shane van Gisbergen .

Quinn laughed at recent headlines that said van Gisbergen was dating the racing team owner, suggesting it could be him.

Greg Murphy is supporting Quinn’s mission to encourage racing car drivers to tighten their seatbelts.

“It’s their personal lives,” he said.

Quinn was currently consumed with his own unexpected journey, one that saw him face the Grim Reaper, who was standing at the end of his hospital bed during a week in the intensive care unit.

“I think it’s all the drugs they give you, and they give you plenty, but I definitely saw him.

“I remember kicking at him. I told him to f… off. He was so real. It was scary.”

Known as a tough man in business, Quinn found the hospital experience frightening, especially at nighttime, and insisted on being discharged after surgery, three weeks after the crash.

He had been humbled by his experiences since, he said

“I’ve been totally surprised by the mental strength you need to just avoid becoming deeply depressed.

“I would normally say ‘toughen up’ but it’s actually a battle mentally.”

He had thought one advantage to the enforced downtime would be to continue work on his second book, a continuation from his 2016 autobiography Zero to 60, but his brain seemed to be consumed with healing his body.

“I couldn’t gather my thoughts together to make any sense of things.”

Positives from the experience had included unexpected weight loss and an appreciation of those supporting him during his recovery.

He was also sharing the lessons he had learnt with the motorsport community.

Looking at the in-car footage from his crash, it was clear his safety belt was not tight enough to protect him from the full force of the impact.

It led him to start a campaign encouraging racing car drivers to tighten their belts, more than they would in a road car.

Close friend and V8 legend Greg Murphy has been helping and found three out of four cars he checked at a recent event in Pukekohe were not tight enough.

“It’s something the sport doesn’t really focus on. Tight enough is not tight enough. You need to go again,” Quinn said.

He had also made a commitment to set up an independent trust to own and operate his New Zealand interests.

“I’ll still be the chairman until I pop my clogs, but if anything happens to me it will continue on as a Kiwi thing. The future of the tracks in New Zealand will be independently looked after.”

He had missed New Zealand over the years of Covid-19 travel restrictions and said the success of the racetracks and his Game Over go-karting businesses had been a credit to the Kiwi staff.

“I haven’t been able to enjoy them for three years, but don’t worry, I’m coming back.”