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Tony Quinn to field GT4 entry in Bathurst 6 Hour support races
Another big name has thrown their support behind GT4 Australia, with Tony Quinn signing up for a full 2023 GT4 Australia championship campaign as well as the non-championship GT4 Australia/Australian Production Car sprint races at the 2023 Hi-Tec Oils Bathurst 6 Hour.Quinn only recently made his comeback to racing following a six month lay-off due to injury, contesting back to back weekends in New Zealand starting with the January 14/15 GT New Zealand Championship round at his own Highlands Motorsport Park venue in a Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS.
“I used to be heavily involved in (GT racing) and GT4 was just starting off and I thought it was a great product for the truly amateur driver, because they were pretty much production cars that were built to last on the race track, so it was always a good concept,” Quinn said.“As the years have gone on, the GT3 product has become very expensive and very expensive to run, so from an economic point of view, the GT4 is far more ‘Scottish’ or economic if you like.“Also, the GT3s are becoming too fast with way too much commitment required to compete with the young pros. I am a great believer that if we can keep the pros out of GT4, I think it will be very, very successful – that is for the sprint rounds, for endurance I think you can mix it up a bit, but if you keep it to an amateur focus, I think it has got a better future than most other categories. “I drove a GT4 Porsche (at Highlands) and we did a great job in amongst all sorts of different cars. It was much more enjoyable to drive than a GT3. It is a bit slower, but it was just far nicer to drive.“Obviously the brakes aren’t as good and the gearbox isn’t as good (as GT3) but as an overall package, it is much easier to drive, just flick the air conditioning on and go for it, it is perfect. It is a car for an amateur and I think amateurs will really enjoy it. They are reliable, safe, and that is what we need to be looking at.“I have been racing different things for a long time, and when I was younger I probably wanted to race at the top level but now I just find the GT4 far easier to drive and work with, so I am looking forward to it and I think it will be a great series.”The sprint races at the Bathurst 6 Hour are likely to mark Quinn’s first competitive outings in Australia since his Townsville Carrera Cup crash, which saw him suffer 12 broken/fractured ribs, a fractured pelvis, two ‘busted’ ankles, and broken feet.“I am not racing for any sheep stations or chocolate fish, I am really just getting the fitness levels up a wee bit as I haven’t really walked or ran or done anything in the gym for six months, so really it is just a case of getting my body back into some kind of fitness level,” he said of his back-to-back racing weekends.“I am a glutton for punishment but to be honest, you have to live your life as much as you can, as much as you can afford, as much as you can do, without embarrassing yourself!“(My GT4 program) is about me managing to enjoy what is left of my racing career to be honest. All of my buddies are racers and going to the race track and stuff, so it is easier for me to spend a weekend with them rather than doing anything else…and if you don’t do that, you just end up going to Bunnings and Harvey Norman!“As far as having expectations and all that goes, I will leave that to the younger guys. I am 65 now and mother nature is pulling me one way and she is going to win, because no one else wins, she wins; but I am going to fight her all the way to the end – don’t you worry about that!”Entries remain open for the APC/GT4 Australia sprint races at the Bathurst 6 Hour, with both Production Cars and GT4 cars eligible.Entrants will enjoy three x 40-minute races on the hallowed grounds of Mount Panorama at the non-championship event over Easter, along with practice and qualifying.Grid capacities are expected to be reached quickly, so interested parties are encouraged to submit their entries as soon as possible. The entry form can be downloaded from https://bit.ly/3IGKLct