JACKSON Rooney had made Tony Quinn sit up and take notice before he’d even seen him steer a race car.
The Kiwi young gun took the initiative to introduce himself to Quinn, who is essentially Australasian motorsport royalty as an avid supporter of drivers, categories and circuits in the region – not to mention owning 40 percent of Supercars powerhouse Triple Eight.
Now, Rooney has secured a big break, after the Tony Quinn Foundation awarded him their 2024 V8 Supercar test prize.
It follows his big finish to the 2023/24 New Zealand Toyota 86 season, winning five of the final six races including a pair of victories last weekend at Taupō.
He’s now locked in to test a Triple Eight Gen3 Camaro Supercar, as Brock Gilchrist did last year at Queensland Raceway.
“He first introduced himself to me by just walking up to me at Hampton Downs and saying hello,” Quinn said of Rooney.
“So that certainly made me sit up and take notice. But really his driving speaks for itself and in these last few weekends he has been sensational.
“He’ll enjoy being immersed in the Supercar experience but I’ll take a personal interest in what he does over in Australia when he’s here for the big Supercar test and we may give him time in another car too, perhaps the GT4 and see how he goes.
“He really is a very talented driver.”
Rooney added: “It’s really a dream come true for me. It’s beyond exciting and I’m already looking forward to it.
“I’ll get started preparing for it immediately with some simulator work and I intend to learn as much as I possibly can from the prize.
“It’s really awesome to also have the calibre of people involved in the TQ Foundation notice me and give me this chance.”
The TQ Foundation’s judging panel comprises of Greg Murphy, Steve Horne, Daniel Gaunt, Josie Spillane, and Quinn himself.
