Gold Coast-based Quinn and his Adelaide co-driver Naomi Tillett were on the 11.1km second competitive stage of the two-day New Zealand tarmac rally when their V.I.P. Petfoods Nissan GTR R35 broke its front differential.
“We were a couple of kays from the end of the stage when we heard a crunching sound and saw smoke pouring out the back,” Quinn said.
“At first I thought it was the gearbox, but then there was a loud bang and we lost the drive to the front wheels.”
At the time Quinn and Tillett were in fourth place after a cautious start on the 10.9km opening stage.
“We weren’t doing anything silly at the beginning because the road was damp and we were on brand new tyres that hadn’t been scrubbed in,” Quinn said.
“Targa Bambina is a ‘blind’ rally with no pace notes, so there was no point risking going off the road on the first stage.”
The multiple tarmac rally winner was disappointed to be denied the opportunity to renew his rivalry with Kiwi ace Glenn Inkster.
The pair staged an epic duel in the 2011 Targa Zealand, the country’s premier tarmac rally, before Quinn took his fourth victory in the event.
Inkster won Targa Bambina comfortably, setting the fastest time on 12 of the 15 stages and finishing a whopping three minutes ahead of his nearest challenger.
“We were looking forward to another fight with Glenn this weekend,” Quinn said.
“He’d been telling everyone how he was going to beat us in Bambina, and he gave it a good crack in the first stage, but after we went out he didn’t have much in the way of competition.
“Now he’ll have to wait until Targa Rotorua in June to see if he can beat us fair and square.”
Quinn and Tillett’s next event is Australia’s premier tarmac rally, Targa Tasmania, from April 17-22.
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