It was a weekend to remember for Tony Quinn Foundation Ambassador Chris White Jr, who made his debut in Monochrome GT4 Australia at Queensland Raceway and came away with a class podium and a fourth-place finish aboard the Game Over Toyota GR Supra GT4 Evo.
Paired up with Tony Quinn himself, the young Kiwi impressed in difficult, changeable conditions across both races.
The opportunity came about after White Jr was crowned Rookie of the Year in the 2024-25 Toyota GR86 Championship at Taupo International Motorsport Park, where it was announced that both the series Champion and top Rookie would earn a drive in Monochrome GT4 Australia alongside Quinn.
Hugo Allan, the overall Champion, partnered with Quinn at Sydney Motorsport Park in May, and now it was White Jr’s turn.
If teaming up with Quinn wasn’t pressure enough, the pair would be racing at Queensland Raceway, a circuit Quinn also owns. Fortunately, White Jr had the chance to test the RaceLab Supra at Taupo beforehand, helping ease the transition into the powerful GT4 machinery.
White Jr got his first laps in the #101 Toyota during a wet Practice 1, with Quinn starting the session before handing over the reins. White Jr logged 17 laps in tricky conditions and ended the session fifth on the timesheets — an encouraging start.
In pre-qualifying, Quinn again began the session before handing over to White, who showed great pace and ran inside the top three for much of the session. Late slick tyre changes from others shuffled them down to 15th, but White Jr still completed a strong 25-minute run.
Come Saturday morning, White Jr faced dry conditions for the first time at Queensland Raceway in Qualifying 1. He handled it well, setting a 1:14.3290 to go 12th overall, just a second off the pace. Quinn qualified the car for Race 2, finishing 23rd, just two seconds off White Jr’s Q1 time.
Race 1 featured chaotic, mixed conditions, with rain falling right at the start. White Jr made a clean getaway and avoided the early incidents to sit ninth under the Safety Car. The team initially stayed out on slicks but made a late call to switch to wets on Lap 2, dropping White Jr to 24th — but then the comeback began.
White Jr lit up the timing screens on the wet tyres, charging through the field. By Lap 13, he had climbed into the Top 10, and by the time he handed over to Quinn, they were running fourth.
Quinn rejoined in 13th and managed the race well, ultimately finishing 12th overall and third in class, later promoted to 10th after time penalties ahead. It was a superb debut and a deserved trophy for White Jr!
Race 2 on Sunday morning saw Quinn start from 23rd and move forward steadily, reaching the Top 20 before the driver change under Safety Car conditions on Lap 16. White Jr resumed in 23rd and quickly began another charge, breaking into the top 15 by Lap 25.
He overtook Shane Smollen’s Porsche in the final laps and crossed the line 12th overall, later classified 11th, and just half a second shy of another class podium, settling for fourth in class.
It was a brilliant debut weekend for White Jr, who showed speed, composure, and strong race craft in some of the toughest conditions. Hopefully, it won’t be the last time we see him behind the wheel of the Supra!
The next round of Monochrome GT4 Australia takes place at Sandown Raceway at the end of July, with the co-driver alongside Quinn still to be confirmed, so stay tuned!
Header Image: Chris White Motorsport
