Ryder Quinn will make a one-off appearance in the final round of the Formula Regional Oceania Championship season for the 68th edition of the New Zealand Grand Prix. As Quinn tells Feeder Series, the event itself, held at Highlands Motorsport Park, marks a dream come true for his family.

By Juan Arroyo

Quinn will enter the final round of FROC with M2 Competition for the New Zealand Grand Prix. The 18-year-old will also test the week prior at Euromarque Motorsport Park in preparation for the grand prix. 

It will be the Australian driver’s first official outing in Formula Regional machinery since February of last year. Quinn has been racing in Australia’s Porsche Carrera Cup during the regular motorsport season since his last FROC appearance.

Quinn entered last season as a rookie with M2 Competition, accumulating two podiums and 11 top-10 finishes across the five rounds. The 18-year-old achieved his highest points-scoring weekend at Highlands Motorsport Park with two seventh-placed finishes in the main races and a third-place podium in the reverse grid race.

At the New Zealand Grand Prix – held at Hampton Downs last year – he achieved ninth, 17th, and tenth-place finishes in that order, a quiet round by that season’s standards.

The 68th edition of the New Zealand Grand Prix will be held at Highlands Motorsport Park – Quinn’s stronghold. For the rest of the family, this marks a special occasion.

“I’m extremely excited, especially now that it’s being held at Highlands. That’s going to be a super special weekend. It was my granddad, my family’s dream to have the New Zealand Grand Prix held at Highlands, and 10 years later, to finally have that happening, it’s pretty special,” Quinn told Feeder Series.

His grandfather is Tony Quinn, who built Highlands Motorsport Park in 2013 and whose eponymous foundation is responsible for supporting a number of young drivers from New Zealand. Since building the Cromwell track, Tony Quinn has also become owner of Hampton Downs and Taupo Motorsport Park, both of which feature on this year’s Formula Regional Oceania calendar.

The 18-year-old cited this year’s venue as part of the reason for his return.

 “I think we would have liked to compete the whole season, but a few things didn’t allow that to happen. Given that it’s such a special weekend and that it’s such a prestigious event, that definitely acts as motivation for me coming back and me really trying to have a good go at it. The likes of some extremely good drivers have competed in that and won the trophy. It obviously shows the calibre of the championship and how special the Grand Prix is.”

While Quinn has solid experience around New Zealand’s tracks, it will take him at least the Euromarque test to catch up to the front-runners. The 18-year-old has not raced single-seaters since last February. Contrasting the 911 GT3 Cup cars he raced in 2023 and the Toyota FT-60, it would be logical to assume that Quinn will go through a readaptation period.

Another factor to consider, perhaps the most important, is the introduction of Pirelli tyres to the championship in 2024. The Australian driver has not raced in championships that use the Italian manufacturer, meanwhile, he cited the European drivers’ previous experience with these tyres as a challenge for his adjustment.

“I think that the biggest challenge is adapting to the tyre. Really maximising that, especially in qualifying, because qualifying is everything,” said Quinn.

Nevertheless, the Australian driver is struggling to hide his excitement for the Grand Prix and host circuit, if he is even trying at all. Asked if Highlands Motorsport Park would play to his strengths again, Quinn promptly gave a vivid description of the layout.

 “Highlands is an incredible track, especially in one of these cars. It is such a cool track. There’s walls everywhere, high-speed stuff, slow-speed stuff. There’s a bridge. You get all four wheels off the ground. It’s just an incredible track and such an incredible experience to be able to drive on it.”

Formula Regional is not the only experience the Australian driver has at this circuit either. He and his grandfather Tony entered the Highlands 6-Hour enduro in November of last year with a GT4 Porsche, ultimately securing second place in their class.

Quinn has a firm understanding of what he needs to succeed in the New Zealand Grand Prix in just under two weeks’ time. He is also driving for what is widely considered the strongest team in the field. Now, it’s all about putting it together for the 18-year-old.

“The Highlands round one was probably the highlight of the championship last year, so I’m decently confident that we can have a good crack at it this year. But again, the biggest thing will just be the tyre and being able to maximise it in qualifying because there’s not many places that you can pass in one of these cars around the circuit.”

Header photo credit: Courtesy of Ryder Quinn