New Zealand motorsport has had more than its fair share of heroes over the years, and the odd dastardly villain to boot. This week, I had the pleasure of seeing the fruits of our latest motorsport hero's labour. And the kicker is - he's Scottish and based in Australia.
Now this in itself may seem good reason to disqualify the gent in question from the status of Kiwi motorsport hero, but he's achieved more here in a very short space of time than many of our racing stalwarts ever will.
Tony Quinn, VIP Petfoods boss and Targa GTR legend, has poured a vast pile of cash and an even larger chunk of time into a piece of land near Cromwell to create what is without doubt the most impressive motor racing complex that this country has ever seen.
Targa fans will recognise Quinn's name from the tarmac rally's leaderboard, which he has topped an unprecedented five times. His black VIP Petfoods GTR has chewed up and spat out much of the North Island at pace. He's a colourful character and is highly likely to tell you what he really thinks, in no uncertain terms, with words that I'd get fired for using here.
Quinn's soon-to-open Highlands Motorsport Park is nothing short of jaw-dropping - from the beautiful location to the seriously well-conceived race circuit and the on-site museum. There's nothing that hasn't been considered.
