A new revised edition of the book, titled ‘Zero to 60 and Beyond’, was launched in Australia this week and the ten new chapters document the changes and challenges that Tony Quinn has faced over the last eight years. Quinn shares the stories behind buying Taupo International Motorsport Park, investing in Triple Eight, starting his Tony Quinn Foundation and the crash that almost cost him his life in a revised edition of his number one bestselling book, ‘Zero to 60 and Beyond’.
In 2016, ‘Zero to 60’ — the story of Tony Quinn’s journey from a wooden caravan in Scotland to a multi-million dollar business and motorsport operation — was launched in New Zealand and went to number one on the non-fiction bestsellers list.
Quinn explains his reasons for writing a follow up in the introduction: “Zero to 60 started off as a project to record my life so far and the reaction to the book surprised me. So many people told me they had read it and enjoyed it but for some reason the publishers decided not to release the book in Australia. A lot has happened since Zero to 60, so when the opportunity came to buy the publishing rights and write an updated version of my story, I jumped at the chance.”
Back in 2016, Quinn had recently sold his V.I.P. petfood company in Australia for $410 million and was in the process of turning the Darrell Lea confectionery company around. He had invested some of his hard earned cash to build Highlands Motorsport Park, a world-class racetrack near Queenstown in New Zealand.
At the time, Quinn was no slouch behind the wheel, competing at the highest level against professional drivers and winning circuit racing and rallying events in Australia and New Zealand. He won Targa Tasmania in 2009, Targa New Zealand multiple times, as well as over 100 podium finishes in the 500+ circuit races he competed in during his career.
Ten years later, in this revised edition, Quinn reveals why he bought Taupo International Motorsport Park and Queensland Raceway, his thoughts on the future prospects for Supercars, and why his racing days are done. He also shares some of the secrets to his success in business and motorsport and his philosophy on what makes for a good life.
Quinn is still making moves in business and his Tony Quinn Foundation has made a massive contribution to motorsport in this part of the world, including supporting Kiwi driver Liam Lawson on his journey to Formula 1. This year, the foundation has also pledged $750,000 to Street Smart, a road safety initiative that gives hands-on driver training to keep kids safer on the road. They also fund a social worker for Cromwell Schools and a mental health programme.
‘Zero to 60 and Beyond’ also reveals a much more vulnerable side to Quinn. He reflects on the break up of his marriage, the death of his daughter from cancer, and the horrific car crash in 2022 that left him fighting for his life. As he writes in his book:
“The accident highlighted the fact I’m getting old and Mother Nature is going to beat me. Mother Nature beats all of us. She always wins and we’re fighting a losing battle.
I still think I’m young until I look in the mirror. Despite the fact that my body is failing me and my hair is receding at a rate of knots, I still think that I can achieve things, go places and live a full and interesting life.
The reality is I can’t do what I used to do and it’s annoying. It’s frustrating for everybody my age. I might have the time and money to go and do things that I want to do, but I have to listen to my body. I have to watch what I eat and try to do some exercise while all the time I’m losing my balance and my eyesight is going and different parts of my body hurt at different times. Most of all, I’m annoyed that it’s all coming to an end.
I’ve no regrets, but then most people don’t. If you ask people what they would change if they could live their life all over again, most people — even if they’ve had a shite life and clearly haven’t played their cards well — will tell you they wouldn’t change a thing. I’ve heard people say that and thought to myself, ‘F**k me. I’d change a lot if I were you!’
I can honestly say I wouldn’t change a thing. For someone who started out with nothing, I’ve had a great life. It would be greedy of me to say it could have been better. I’ve had my share of bad days. Everybody has, but it’s how you cope with the bad days that’s important.”
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