Highlands was the first in Tony Quinn’s portfolio of Australasian race tracks, and the race weekend (November 3-5) will mark the 10th anniversary for the Cromwell facility.
The Quinn family team will drive Celtic Racing’s Porsche GT4 RS ClubSport in the big race and are hoping 2023 form at the track and in endurance racing will help put them near the front of the pack in the first six-hour race solely for GT3 and GT4 machinery in New Zealand motorsport history.
The car will have a team of three drivers with the third driver — a young gun from the Australian racing scene — to be confirmed next week.
Ryder Quinn, 17, is another emerging talent and will be eager to get stuck into the Highlands track after excelling on his Castrol Toyota FR Oceania debut against international opposition at the start of the year, when he was one of the fastest around the layout.
His grandfather also has winning form, having claimed overall honours earlier this year at another circuit in his portfolio — the Queensland Raceway — sharing the Porsche with Kiwi driver Kaleb Ngatoa.
Two second-place finishes and a win across the event’s three races were more than enough to secure round victory in the Australian GT4 Championship.
The Quinns raced together with Grant Denyer to win the Bathurst 6 Hour earlier this year in spectacular style.
Ryder, who made a race-winning pass on the final lap at Bathurst, is looking forward to another big weekend at Highlands.
“I can remember vividly watching the first Highlands 101 as an 8-year old and watching my dad and Popeye racing there, so I only have fond memories,” he said.
"It’s going to be great to get out there in the Porsche and see what we can do again over another tough six-hour race."
Senior in years to his young teammates he may be, but Tony Quinn, 66, is is also relishing the opportunity.
"I’m getting old now, but I’m always happy to drive with Ryder and, for this weekend, another outstanding young talent. In fact, it’s an honour to be in the team with them.
"They have raced against each other in the Carrera Cup and race fast and look after the car.
"I will do my part but they’ll do most of the race and it’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m pretty confident we will go well in GT4 and you never know what might happen overall in a race of this duration."
Up to 32 GT3, GT4 and open class cars will take the start for the gruelling race, the first six-hour event for cars of this speed and sophistication in New Zealand.
