Bachelorette NZ star hopes trip to Meeanee Speedway will be enough to find love

Quinn Ryan is hoping a trip to Meeanee Speedway will be enough to win the heart of bachelorette Lily McManus on the inaugural series of The Bachelorette NZ. Photo / Supplied

Hawke's Bay's most eligible man is hoping a trip to Meeanee Speedway will be enough to win the heart of his partner on the inaugural series of The Bachelorette NZ.

Quinn Ryan, who has made it to the final five on the TV2 reality show, has brought one of the two bachelorettes to visit the Bay and show off his passion for speedway.

Originally starting with 22 bachelors from across the globe, the show now has five guys remaining in the quest to find love with bachelorettes Lily McManus or Lesina Nakhid-Schuster.

Quinn, who is set to take Lily on a trip to his hometown speedway track on tonight's episode of the show, said showing off the region was a special moment.

"I am Hawke's Bay born and bred, so bringing Lily home to meet my family and show her speedway was really important to me," he said.

"It's showing a big part of me because it's been my home since I was young."

Quinn, a Hawke's Bay Hawkeyes superstock squad member, said he was happy to show Lily a different side of his life.

"Obviously speedway is such a vital part of my life, so to show her that side was important," he said.

"She'd never been to a speedway track before but loved it and it blew her away. She did say on the day that she hadn't driven a manual for a while though."

Quinn added: "When you mention speedway, people often think we're all just hillbillies that just smash each other, but it is not that at all. Our superstock class is a lot more professional nowadays."

The 25-year-old, who was raised on a farm in Te Awanga, said he has fond memories of growing up in Hawke's Bay.

"I lived in Melbourne for a year and a half, but I'm Hawke's Bay through and through," he said. "I used to surf every day after school, go white baiting, get on the motorbikes and hoon down Cape Kidnappers and get paua.

"It is just such an amazing place to grow up, and that is why I was really excited to show her that part of it."

With filming having concluded at the end of 2019, Quinn kept the outcome close to his chest.

However, one thing the reality star admitted to was a sense of pride for his region.

"I think I've done Hawke's Bay proud - especially to get to where I got," he said. "I am really happy I did it.

"There's even speedway fans and racers and the community that watch the show, and I've done them proud too. I think it has bought the sport up and done well for it."

Quinn added: "The experience was amazing, and I learned a lot about myself and about women too. A lot of people think it's scripted, but it's real - all the boys fully start to get feelings for these girls."

When applying for the TVNZ show, bachelorette Lily said she was on the lookout for a guy with a good sense of humour and someone who "loves a bit of an adventure".

While Quinn is used to taking top spot, will a trip to Meeanee Speedway be enough to secure him the title of The Bachelorette NZ's first winner?

The final episode screens on March 30 on TV2, with tonight's episode set to air at 7.30pm.