Toyota’s big Bathurst weekend
By Thomas Miles
Date posted: 8 October 2025
Four months before its Supercars debut, Toyota will be taking centre stage at Mount Panorama this weekend.
Fans will get to witness the on-track, public debut of the Toyota GR Supra Supercar across four demonstration sessions throughout the Bathurst 1000 weekend.
The first run will take place at 5.05 AEDT on Friday evening, straight after Qualifying and will also be the longest, with 20 minutes allocated.
The Supra will be seen twice on Saturday, in the morning before Practice 5 for a 15-minute run, before a shorter five-minute burst in the evening prior to the Shootout.
The GR Supra will also get a run on Bathurst Day, kicking off proceedings at 7.40 AEDT.
Toyota’s new weapon will also be on display throughout the weekend in its own garage.
Fans can also get an up-close look of the car at tonight’s Track to Town event at 17.30, and it will be on display.
It’s been a year since the shape of the Supra was announced through a clay model at last year’s Bathurst 1000.
Six Supras will be on the grid next year with the homologation team Walkinshaw Andretti United and Brad Jones Racing.
In addition to the Supercar, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia (TGRA) GR Cup will make its annual trip to the Great Race, giving the young stars a chance to shine on the big stage.
Two rounds are down and three to go, with Gold Coast and Sandown following Bathurst.
Less than 100 points difference between the top five drivers, with young 16-year-old Tasmanian Oli Wickham leading the championship ahead of Lachlan Evennett and Hayden Hume.
Former Supercars race winner and mid-2000s veteran Steve Owen will be the experienced guest driver.
Teenage Kiwi Chris White will enjoy an invited debut after winning Rookie of the Year honours in the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing New Zealand (TGRNZ) GR86 Championship.
The 18-year-old from Christchurch feels ready for the challenge and hopes to break into the top 10.
“This weekend will definitely be a high point in my racing career so far,” he explained.
“I know it’s going to be a huge weekend and like most drivers will have done I have been doing a lot of sim work and studying video footage from previous years’ events looking for any information that will help me get up to speed quickly.
“My biggest goal will to be to secure a top ten place finish,” he added. “That’s simply because it would be incredibly hard to rock up and win at the mountain on debut and I think it’s better to be realistic about that.
“It doesn’t really matter how much time you do on the sim, it will be different when we head out onto the track for the first time. It’s definitely an effective way to start my 2025-26 season but at the same time will be super daunting flying over the top of the mountain for the first time.”
Also stepping up is Liam Gerges, who finished fifth in the TGRA Scholarship Series and impressed at an evaluation day to get a shot.
The 86s will have three races across the weekend.
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