BACKGROUND: WHAT QUINN IS BUYING

Triple Eight Race Engineering majority shareholder Tony Quinn is close to buying Queensland Raceways Pty Ltd, which operates Queensland Raceway and Lakeside Park.

Run by John Tetley, they will join New Zealand’s Hampton Downs and Highlands Motorsport Park in Quinn’s portfolio.

Quinn and Tetley have confirmed to AUTO ACTION that they are in serious sale talks.

Opened in 1999, Queensland Raceway hosted its first V8 Supercars event in the same year as a sprint round before the traditional pre-Bathurst 500 km endurance race moved to the venue from Sandown.

It lost the race back to Sandown after the 2002 event, but remained on the Supercars calendar until last year. The Ipswich circuit was mooted as holding a double-header Supercars event last year in reaction to border closures due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but was by-passed.

The 3.12 km circuit continues to be used as the sole testing venue for Queensland-based Supercars teams and hosts Motorsport Australia-sanctioned events with annual permits despite being approved by the FIA as a Grade 3 circuit.

According to Tetley, who has long been at loggerheads with CAMS/Motorsport Australia over circuit safety requirements, QR remains a viable test track.

“QR does not expect to host any Motorsport Australia-sanctioned competitive events in the foreseeable future even though it has been approved for them,” he told Auto Action.

“However, QR  will continue to support the local Supercar teams through its RACERS Venue Accreditation for all of their evaluation, performance testing and recruitment shakedown activities.”

RACERS is a separate enterprise running independent test days and events around the country that will continue after the QR/Lakeside sale to Quinn is completed.

Last resurfaced in 2011, plans were announced by the Ipswich Council to invest $220 million to upgrade the entire precinct, which includes Willowbank drag strip, a speedway, motocross track, kart track and motorcycle speedway.

What is Tony Quinn buying? – Image: InSyde Media

Quinn is a record-holder at Queensland Raceway in Australian GT.

As part of the deal, Quinn would also acquire Lakeside Park, which is subject to tough restrictions due to encroaching urban sprawl, but continues to be used on a consistent basis at a grassroots level.

Opened in 1961, Lakeside closed in mid-2001 amid growing debt and restrictions before a revival was instigated by the ‘Friends of Lakeside’, which was able to have the track listed on the Queensland Heritage Register.

A 30-year lease was signed between the Pine Rivers Shire Council and Queensland Raceways in 2007, with upgrades progressively made to the circuit ever since.

Strict time constraints and a noise limit of 95db are imposed at the facility.

The news comes after it was revealed Quinn purchased a 40 percent stake in leading Supercars squad Triple Eight Race Engineering earlier this year, joining his sponsorship deal with Team Sydney through his Local Legends beef jerky company and his ownership of Aussie Racing Cars.

Quinn is a previous owner of Australian GT.

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