MOTORSPORT identity Tony Quinn has committed to racing on the streets of Townsville just 12 months after a crash there threatened his life.
Quinn was rushed into intensive care after a mammoth Porsche Carrera Cup crash at Turn 10 which left him with eight broken ribs, five fractured vertebrae, a punctured lung, a broken leg and broken foot.
The Scotsman, who owns 40 percent of Triple Eight plus various Australasian circuits including Queensland Raceway, will race next weekend in Townsville for Round 5 of the Battery World Aussie Racing Cars Super Series – which he also owns.
“It’s a little spooky to be heading back to Townsville, but I have my reasons for going back there,” said Quinn.
“I really 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.
“Dr Soong is just so friendly, so I want to meet up with him and pay my gratitude.
“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.
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“My main aim for the weekend is to stay out of trouble and stay very, very far away from the concrete wall.
“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.”
Of the chance to join the Aussie Racing Cars field, Quinn added: “They are highly competitive, but they race in this class because they love it. Everyone enjoys driving the cars. The camaraderie is second to none.
“Some of the categories have lawyers on speed dial. These are just competitive, cool guys,
“My eldest son (Kent Quinn) is racing in the Masters class, so it’s nice to share the track with him again.
“But I’ll be leaving him up towards the front of the field. I’ll stay up the back and sweep up the bits and pieces.”
