Coffs Harbour rally driver on the road to success

He’s a mechanic by day and a pizza shop shift manager by night, but somewhere along the way Coffs Harbour dynamo Nathan Quinn also fits in competitive rally car racing and study towards a Bachelor of Business degree.

Currently ranked 15th fastest in Australia, first in NSW and fourth in Queensland, 23-year-old Nathan is adept at juggling the demands of work, study and sport.

He worked five part-time jobs throughout his final two years at high school in order to save enough money to begin rally competition.

“I have always been taught, and firmly believe, that nothing is out of the question if you want it bad enough,” he said. “I have been taught to set goals and achievable milestones to ensure that I progress towards them.”

Nathan has been competing with his own racing team at the pinnacle of Australian rallysport – the Australian Rally Championship – for almost three years and sees his enrolment with Southern Cross University as a means of enhancing both his employment prospects and track success.

“My study has already been a great help in the management and logistical side of my mechanical career and I’ve also been able to apply it to rally racing,” Nathan said.

“In both my work and sport there is a heavy emphasis on organisational skills, logistics, management, leadership and budget preparation, and I’m confident that the Bachelor of Business degree will help me to develop these abilities. Good business skills are just as important, if not more important, than good trade skills.”

Nathan is following in his father, team manager Martin’s footsteps, both as a mechanic and a student.

“My father gave away his job as a mechanic to complete a business degree at Southern Cross University in the 1990s and then went on to a managerial role. I’ve seen the opportunities he’s enjoyed and always thought I would like to do something similar. But it would be impossible for me to expand my career options under my current schedule, without being able to study externally.”

In rally car racing, Nathan said his growing understanding of business management and marketing has helped him to motivate his team and deal with the highs and lows of competition.

“We’re always having to handle unexpected events and needing miracles to be performed in the 20 minutes of pit time,” he said. “Study has also opened my eyes to what is available through marketing to attract and maintain sponsorship.”

In February Nathan returned from a week-long training session at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS), which further fuelled his ambitions. “Interestingly, the basic principles of business and management can also be applied to Australia’s best sportspeople,” he said.

“It’s clear to me that sporting ability and tertiary education go hand-in-hand for success.”

And there will be many opportunities to apply what he has learnt during the next six months of crucial rally competition.

“It’s crunch time for us,” Nathan said. “The next event – a round of the Asia Pacific Championship in May in Queensland – is probably the most important event in my rally career. It is also part of the prestigious Pirelli Star Program and success in it can assure us additional sponsorship for the world rally championship next year.”

Closer to home, Nathan and his team will also compete in round 10 of the World Championship in the forests surrounding Kyogle in September.

“Rallying takes an incredible amount of focus and determination,” Nathan said. “The next few months will probably see that effort triple but I am lucky to have the support of my employers, and my family and friends, who help provide the flexibility I need to manage my time.”

Photo: Nathan Quinn successfully fits in competitive rally car racing, work and study towards a Bachelor of Business degree.