Bridgestone GR86 Championship biggest test so far for White

Winning the Tony Quinn Foundation Toyota GR86 shoot out recently could help 17 year old Christchurch Boys College racer Chris White get one step closer to his dream of racing in Supercars.

Thanks to his win in the shoot-out White is making the step up to New Zealand’s top one make, one model motorsport championship, the Bridgestone GR86 Championship. The talented youngster reckons it could be a massive stepping stone in his racing career.

Chris – who will join highly-regarded James Marshall Motorsport for the first ever GR86 Championship – is already on the national motorsport radar as one of the country’s best young prospects having started karting aged just nine where he competed with distinction.

A leading contender in South Island and National Championships throughout his time in karting, he won the Kartsport South Island Sprint Championship for Junior Rotax machines in 2020. He progressed to cars only a season ago but carried on winning races, securing the South Island Mazda Series and national Mazda racing titles last season.

More than 20 of the country’s best rising stars and experienced racers will do battle in the new model car over six weekends of action including supporting the New Zealand Grand Prix at Highlands Motorsport Park in February and as a main support category for Supercars’ second visit to Taupo International Motorsport Park next April.

The championship has produced some big motorsport names over the past few years – with competitors including Ryan Wood who is now in Supercars, Callum Hedge who is one step away from Indycars in the USA and international Porsche racer Marco Giltrap.

While keeping his feet firmly on the ground, White has enjoyed driving the new car and is hoping to go well. “My short-term focus is to have major success in the Bridgestone GR86 Championship and learn and progress through the year working with my new engineers and mechanics,” he explained. “My long-term focus, like many young Kiwi racing drivers, is to make it to Supercars.

“I had the opportunity to test the new GR86 after winning the Mazda Series, and that was a full test day with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing. I drove it again at the Tony Quinn Foundation shootout of course and to win that and secure a season in the Championship was a great moment for me.

“My first impression of the new GR86 was that it was really good and a significant upgrade from the previous car. The new braking package is awesome and the car’s overall balance is sturdy and positive. The biggest challenge for the upcoming season will be adapting to the new car and a completely different racing style but I am hoping to get to grips with the racing quickly and learn as much as I can from the team and engineers.

“The Toyota 86 championship has a proven history in helping rising race car drivers hone their skills, with close grids and close racing and going well in it is very good for any driver’s reputation.”

As well as support from the Tony Quinn Foundation, Chris’s new car will carry support from Pak’nSave when the championships revs up for the first round at the end of next month.