Quinn aims for two Highlands 101 victories with Tander

2 November, 2014

With this year’s Highlands 101 endurance race meeting being held this weekend, November 8–9, at Highlands Motorsport Park in Cromwell, Tony Quinn has paired up with renowned V8 Supercars driver, and three-times Bathurst 1000 winner, Garth Tander, as he seeks both the Highlands 101 race win and the Australian GT Championship (AGT) title.

Tony Quinn (L) and Garth Tander will be pairing up for the Highlands 101 endurance race

Quinn, the Highlands Motorsport Park owner, is the only winner of the two 101-format races run to date, and will be driving the same six-litre V12 Aston Martin Vantage GT3. Tander is looking forward to Highlands 101, and parity afforded by the 101-format, saying, “When the ‘pro’ drivers like me compete, we can’t just come in and dominate, which is nice. It’s a bit like having a golf handicap.”

Tony Quinn and Fabian Coulthard winning a previous Highlands 101 

Quinn is also in a strong position to secure the AGT title, sitting a mere 32 points behind current leader Richard Muscat. With Muscat enlisting Craig Baird as his co-driver, the competition in this final round of this AGT series has really ramped up, ensuring the weekend’s going to be one to watch. Highlands 101 takes place at Highlands Motorsport Park over the weekend of November 8–9. Tickets are available online from TicketDirect, or at the gate during the race weekend. 

Range Rover CSK — the original SUV

The Range Rover, thanks to Charles Spencer King, went into production in 1970 boasting an iconic shape that would last until 1996. The vehicle that would create the SUV moniker came about because Rover decided it was time to add a bigger four-wheel-drive vehicle, one with a 100-inch wheelbase, to the model range. Land Rover made a 109-inch wheelbase model but the standard vehicle had a 88-inch wheelbase.
The new model would be more suitable for road use than the existing Land Rover, which was considered to be predominantly for rural use. To make sure it could cope on any road it came standard with the Rover 3.5-litre V8 engine. The body design was originally sketched by King and went into production with only a few minor touch-ups by the Rover styling team.
According to King, “The idea was to combine the comfort and on-road ability of a Rover saloon with the off-road ability of a Land Rover. Nobody was doing it.”

Ford’s Mustang – the endlessly hip American dream machine

Fifty or so years ago, the only place in New Zealand to see a Ford Mustang was on the racetrack. In a local market severely constrained by a lack of new motor vehicles, the new North American Ford was a dreamy icon boosted by considerable motorsport success.
Import licences for cars were limited, and if Kiwis travelled abroad, the amount of currency they could take with them was restricted. What’s more, those funds could not be used to buy a car for importation back home. Yet it was OK to spend the money on heavy drinking at a London pub, Gucci shoes, sable fur coats, and excessive stays at the Hôtel Martinez at Cannes in France.
However, any rare Mustang that landed on our shores would not be destined to pose around Auckland’s then trendy Queen Street on a Friday night but would more likely be found in the care of well-known racing drivers on the starting grid at local motor racing tracks.