Tony Quinn Foundation Ambassador Lucas McGill has wrapped up Round 2 of the 2025–26 Bridgestone Toyota GR86 Championship, with the 17-year-old Kiwi securing his best race result to date in what proved to be a challenging but encouraging weekend for the young prospect.
The Hampton Downs round marked just McGill’s second start in circuit racing, following his debut in the championship at the opening round back in November.
While still very early days in his transition from karting, the return to the same 3.8km International layout offered some welcome continuity after what was very much a baptism of fire first time out.
As with Round 1, McGill was given three Practice sessions on Friday to reacclimatise before Saturday’s all-important qualifying.
In the opening session, he completed more laps than any other driver, logging ten tours and setting his best time at 1:50.724 on his final flyer to finish 14th, just over a second away from pace-setter Chris White Jr.
Practice 2 followed a similar pattern, with McGill again focusing on seat time. Another ten laps yielded a slight improvement, shaving a tenth off his earlier effort with a 1:50.669 to end the session 15th.
In the third and final Practice, warmer conditions made matching earlier times difficult, but McGill still banked valuable mileage ahead of qualifying.
Saturday morning’s Qualifying session proved tricky as track temperatures continued to rise, making early laps crucial.
McGill’s first proper flyer, a 1:50.945, showed flashes of promise but didn’t quite come together. Despite pushing again later in the session and setting two laps close to that benchmark, he was unable to improve, leaving him 16th on the grid and facing a tough task from the eighth row for the races ahead.
Race 1 saw McGill line up alongside Cam Hill in 16th. A difficult launch off the line saw him momentarily lose touch heading into Turn 1, but it only took a few corners for him to close back onto the pack as battles unfolded ahead.
He soon found himself locked into a four-car train led by Cormac Murphy, with Hill and Thomas Mallard in between.
Hill moved past Murphy on Lap 3 and edged away, leaving McGill applying increasing pressure to Mallard through the closing stages of the eight-lap contest. Despite turning up the heat, Lucas couldn’t quite find a way through, crossing the line 16th, just three-tenths shy after a tightly fought run.
Sunday morning’s Race 2 featured a reverse Top-8 grid over ten laps, with Lucas once again starting from 16th.
He held position through Turn 1, but chaos unfolded ahead at Turn 2 when contact sent Harry Townshend around. McGill smartly took the inside line, avoiding the incident and picking up several positions to emerge 12th by Turn 3.
Once again, he found himself behind Mallard, though this time under pressure from Race 1 winner Josh Bethune, who had been caught up in the opening-lap drama. Bethune eventually forced his way through after a side-by-side battle, dropping McGill to 13th, though he retained a small buffer to Townshend behind.
Further ahead, Arthur Broughan’s damage compressed the field and gave McGill opportunities to attack. After several laps of sustained pressure, he finally made his move with two laps to go, getting a strong exit from Turn 1 to dive inside Broughan at Turn 2 and take the position.
However, Murphy followed through as well, piling the pressure on Lucas into the final lap. Murphy reclaimed the spot at Turn 1, leaving Lucas to cross the line 14th, later promoted to 13th following a post-race penalty ahead. It marked Lucas’ best race result to date.
Just hours later, the field returned for the third and final race, a 12-lap dash in demanding conditions. Starting 16th once again, McGill made a clean, steady launch and settled in behind Mallard. Early battling ahead offered opportunities, but he was unable to capitalise as the pack gradually found its rhythm and edged clear.
Mid-race, the gap stretched to just over two seconds, but McGill dug in over the closing laps, reeling Mallard back in to within a second heading into the final three laps. A four-car fight developed late on, with Lucas pushing hard right to the flag, but he ultimately finished where he started in 16th.
While the results don’t yet tell the full story, the weekend showed clear progress. McGill continues to learn with every session, building racecraft, confidence, and understanding as he adapts to life in a highly competitive one-make championship.
After two rounds of the 2025–26 season, McGill sits 15th in the standings and earns a brief break before returning for Round 3 at Teretonga Park in Invercargill on January 23–25. It will mark his first visit to New Zealand’s oldest purpose-built circuit, another important step in his development.
Header Image: TQF
