The opening round of the Toyota GR Cup Australia delivered action from the outset, with Kiwi trio Ben Stewart, Fabian Coulthard and Jaxon Evans all experiencing the highs and lows of one-make racing across three fiercely contested races.
With a 27-car field and tight lap times throughout the weekend, the margins were thin, and the battles happened throughout the field.
Race 1 qualifying proved challenging for 99 Motorsport’s Ben Stewart. The young Kiwi managed just one flying lap, posting a 1:13.209 to secure 19th on the grid. A second effort was deleted due to a kerb strike before he returned to the pits, leaving him with work to do in the opening race.
Guest driver Fabian Coulthard, representing Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia, initially went just 0.013 seconds quicker than Stewart with a 1:13.196 before improving significantly to a 1:12.864. That time locked in 13th position before Coulthard elected to sit out the remainder of the session.
Also, another Kiwi guest driver on the grid, Jaxon Evans, set his best time early, recording a 1:12.893. Despite multiple attempts, he was unable to better it and secured 15th on the grid.
At the front, Brock Stinson claimed pole position by a microscopic 0.003 seconds over Jack Szewczuk, underlining just how competitive the field was.
Stinson made a clean launch to lead into Turn 1, while chaos unfolded behind. Coulthard made an immediate impression, jumping two spots on the opening lap and climbing into the top 10 by the end of Lap 1.
Stewart also got away strongly, gaining three positions in the opening corners and moving into 16th by Turn 4. Evans, however, slipped back two positions in the early exchanges, settling into 17th after being passed by Stewart.
The race’s pivotal moment came on Lap 2 when a three-wide fight for the podium ended with Pip Casabene spinning. Cars scattered to avoid the incident, but Coulthard came off worst, sustaining significant right-front damage and coming to a stop on track. The safety car was deployed, and Coulthard was forced into retirement — the first DNF of the season for the experienced Kiwi.
On the restart, Stewart and Evans resumed their midfield battle. Stewart showed strong pace in the closing stages, carving his way through the pack. With three minutes remaining, he was up to 12th, and he wasn’t done.
On the final lap, Stewart launched one last charge, slicing into the top 10 and crossing the line in 10th place, an impressive nine-position gain from where he started and a standout drive in his season opener.
Evans drove a clean and composed race, finishing 12th on the road after battling consistently in the midfield, gaining three positions overall.
Stinson took the victory ahead of Cooper Barnes and Lachlan Gibbons.
Race 2 saw Barnes edge Stinson into Turn 1 for the early lead before Stinson later reclaimed control.
Stewart slotted into 8th in the opening stages and held firm under pressure from Anthony Capobianco, maintaining a solid top-10 position throughout the race.
Evans initially slipped back to 15th amid the tight midfield battle but fought his way forward. With 10 minutes remaining, he was embroiled in a frantic five-car scrap involving Capobianco, Craig Thornton, Will Thompson and Zane Rinaldi, at times running three-wide in classic GR Cup fashion. His persistence paid off as he worked into 11th on the road, later promoted to 8th after post-race penalties.
Coulthard, starting from the rear after his Race 1 DNF, began an aggressive recovery drive, climbing three spots in the opening laps. However, contact at Turn 2 on Lap 3 involving Buckley and Harrison Blanchard sent him spinning and back to the rear of the field once more. Refusing to give in, Coulthard charged forward again, reaching 19th with six minutes remaining and eventually crossing the line 15th. After incurring 17 seconds of penalties, he was classified 20th.
Stewart produced another measured performance to finish 7th, backing up his Race 1 charge with valuable championship points.
Up front, Stinson again proved untouchable, taking his second win of the weekend ahead of Barnes and Gibbons.
Stinson lined up on pole for the final 20-minute encounter, alongside Barnes. Stewart and Evans started side-by-side on Row 4 in 7th and 8th, while Coulthard began from 20th.
Stinson controlled the race from the outset, building a small but decisive margin at the front.
In the midfield, Stewart briefly dropped to 8th but maintained a clean, consistent pace throughout. Evans slipped back a couple of spots during the largely single-file opening stint, sitting 10th five minutes in.
Coulthard, meanwhile, was once again on the move. Within the first few corners, he gained three places, and by the mid-point of the race had climbed seven positions to 13th. He continued pressing forward in the closing stages.
As the race settled into rhythm, Stewart held firm in the top 10, eventually taking the chequered flag in 7th place, his best finish of the weekend and a strong points haul to begin his full-time campaign.
Coulthard completed an impressive recovery to finish 11th, up nine positions from where he started.
Evans came home just behind in 12th, wrapping up a consistent weekend that included an 8th-place result (post-penalties) in Race 2.
At the front, Stinson completed a perfect weekend — three races, three victories — with Gibbons and Barnes joining him on the podium once again to mirror their Race 1 and 2 results.
For Stewart, the opening round showcased resilience and race craft, highlighted by his nine-place gain in Race 1 and two top-10 finishes. Evans demonstrated strong midfield pace and composure in heavy traffic, while Coulthard’s weekend was defined by recovery drives after early setbacks.
The Toyota GR Cup Australia now heads to Townsville for Round 2 on 10–12 July, supporting the Supercars Townsville 500.
Header Image: Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia
