Tony Quinn has a proven record of making things happen in business and motorsport - and his latest project is to bring Australia’s high-flying Supercar series to the South Island.
Quinn owns Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell - the proposed venue for a 2026 event.
“It would be viewedby millions of people in Australia and I think that’s a great opportunity to promote that region and New Zealand as a whole. Particularly when we’ve got Taupō the week before [April 11-13],” says Quinn.
The Scotsman also owns the track where the ITM Taupō Super400 is staged and says it’d make sense to hold a South Island event the week after - rather than his other circuit, Hampton Downs (between Auckland and Hamilton).
Tony Quinn hopes to bring the V8 Supercars series to the South Island. Photo / Supplied
“Taupō basically took every piece of portable grandstand in the North Island for that week, and so, if you were to try and do Hampton Downs the week after, You’d have to take down the grandstand scaffold and put it up within a week. That’s a big ask,” says Quinn.
On Wednesday, the Central Otago District Council met to briefly discuss the region hosting a Supercars event at Highlands Motorsport Park, in Cromwell.
“It was noted that conversations with Supercars are under way and are looking favourable, but there is not any further information on this proposed event that could be shared,” the council heard.
Should the Highlands event come to fruition, it would mark the first time Supercars would hold two championship events in New Zealand in the same year.
Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell. Photo / Supplied
Quinn doesn’t understate how big an achievement that would be.
“For me personally, it would be a real feather in my cap, so that when I arrive upstairs and the big fellow says, ‘what have you done with your life’? I can just tell him a few of the things that I’ve done, and one of them would be bring the V8s to Highlands, that’d be good,” says Quinn with his characteristic chuckle.
Quinn has no doubt the region could accommodate an event the size of Supercars.
“Central Otago, that’s what it’s built for mate. It does Warbirds Over Wānaka every second year - and it handles it well, it has a million people go there in the summer and half a million people go there in the winter time, it’s got the infrastructure to cope,” says Quinn.
He believes he would also have local support.
“I think the people of the region, you know, 98% of them would embrace it with open arms,” says Quinn.
The former pet food magnate opened the acclaimed Highlands Motor Park in 2013. He believes the track would be a huge hit with the V8 Supercar series.
Shane van Gisbergen (left) and co-driver Richie Stanaway (right) win the 2023 Repco Bathurst 1000, Event 10 of the Repco Supercars Championship at Mount Panorama, Bathurst. Van Gisbergen rates the Cromwell track highly. Photo / Photosport
“I can tell you that Shane Van Gisbergen [former Supercar champion, now NASCAR driver] and Liam Lawson [F1 driver], two famous Kiwis, both rate it as the best track in the world. It is a great track to drive on and there’s about five good passing places - so I think it would be a fantastic race,” says Quinn.
“It would be even better if the two Red Bull cars are out front, but that’s another story,” quips Quinn - referring to the Supercar team that he has a majority share of.
In a statement, Supercars said nothing to dampen the hopes of South Island petrol-heads.
“Supercars is constantly pursuing and evaluating opportunities to expand the sport’s reach, both in Australia and abroad. New Zealand is home to an avid motorsport fan base, as evidenced by the sell-out success of the inaugural ITM Taupō Super400 this past April, and no less than five Kiwi drivers on the current Supercars grid,” a Supercars statement said.
“There has been great interest among our stakeholders and supporters in a second Supercars event in the land of the long white cloud, which we will continue to explore alongside our ongoing efforts to sustain and grow the success of our event in Taupō.”
Will Brown wins race 2 of the 2024 ITM Taupō Super400, event 3 of the Repco Supercars Championship, Taupō, in April. Photo / Edge Photographics
If the Australian operation needs more convincing, Quinn says it could come from a financial commitment from this end.
“I think they’ll need some kind of tourism dollars or something to bring the show to town - and I think everywhere that I’ve seen that contributes, has a great time, a great result,” says Quinn.
They’ll do well to resist a man that knows what it takes to get race cars and racetracks across the line.
