Tony Quinn Foundation Ambassador Chris White Jr has wrapped up his Toyota GR Cup debut at Mount Panorama, and what an experience it was for the 18-year-old Kiwi.
The Bathurst appearance came as part of his prize for winning Rookie of the Year in last season’s Bridgestone Toyota GR86 Championship, earning him the opportunity to join the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia team for his first start in the GR Cup Australia.
White arrived at Bathurst eager for his first laps around the iconic 6.2 km circuit, armed with valuable GR86 experience but limited time to learn one of the world’s toughest tracks, with just two 20-minute practice sessions to get up to speed.
The opening session was a challenge, with heavy rain slowing the field by nearly 30 seconds a lap. White completed five laps before a red flag ended proceedings early, finishing 32nd while sensibly taking a no-risks approach as he built confidence.
Conditions improved for Practice 2 on Thursday afternoon, giving him a taste of Bathurst in the dry.
He completed seven laps and ended the session in 19th, his best time of 2:37.7563 coming on the final tour, a solid way to start the weekend.
Friday morning’s qualifying session took place in the cool early light.
White couldn’t quite piece together a perfect lap but still produced a tidy 2:36.0094, within a second of his vastly experienced teammate Steve Owen, who has thousands of laps around the Mountain to his name.
That effort placed White 26th, slightly further back than he hoped, but with three races ahead, there was plenty of opportunity to move forward.
Later that afternoon, White lined up for his first Toyota GR Cup race.
He made a strong launch, gaining positions off the line, but chaos unfolded ahead as several cars collided climbing Mountain Straight.
While White initially avoided the incident, one damaged car veered into his path. He narrowly avoided contact, though the race was red-flagged and not restarted due to time constraints.
Saturday afternoon’s Race 2 offered a proper run, with White starting 23rd after several cars were withdrawn following the opening-race carnage. He slipped a few spots early before settling into a rhythm and mounting a recovery.
Over the following laps, he picked off rivals Harry Tomkins, William Seal and Romeo Nasr, climbing as high as 22nd. Despite running out of laps to catch the next pack, he closed the gap dramatically with his fastest lap of the race on the final tour, finishing 22nd, a positive step forward and valuable mileage around Bathurst.
White’ final race came Sunday morning, just hours before the Bathurst 1000. Starting 22nd, he delivered his best drive of the weekend.
A strong getaway saw him overtake Jack Szewczuk and teammate Liam Gerges in the opening corners, then pass Isaac Demellweek to climb into the top 20. Gerges would slip back past him by the end of the lap, but White quickly regrouped.
Over the next few laps, he chased down his teammate again, moving through on Imbrogno and Hayden Hume to reach 16th, before overtaking Thornton and Gerges for 14th.
From there, he began reeling in fellow Kiwi Ben Stewart, closing the gap from over seven seconds to around five by the chequered flag, an eight-place gain from his starting spot and a superb way to round out his Mount Panorama debut.
It was a weekend of valuable learning and steady progression for White, who took big steps forward with each run at the Mountain.
He now returns home to contest the Bridgestone Toyota GR86 Championship, which kicks off as part of the NextGen NZ Championship opener at Hampton Downs from October 31 – November 2.
After an impressive Rookie campaign last season, he’ll be aiming to build on the experience gained at Bathurst and carry that momentum into summer.
Header Image: Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia
