Christine Gibson

Christine Gibson (née Cole) is Australia’s most successful female touring car driver, with a racing career spanning three decades from the late 1960s through the 1980s that saw her compete wheel-to-wheel with the nation’s top male racers—and frequently beat them.

EARLY YEARS

Gibson had plenty of interests before motorsport claimed her attention, including tennis and surfing. But once she discovered racing in the late 1960s, there was no turning back. Her first season was spent competing in a women’s championship based at Oran Park Raceway in Sydney—the Toby Lee Series, which ran from 1970 to 1975. She won every round of the championship apart from the first one, establishing herself as a force to be reckoned with right out of the gate.

OTHER INTERESTS

Before racing consumed her life, Christine was an accomplished tennis player and surfer—the kind of woman who thrived on physical competition and didn’t shy away from a challenge. Those athletic instincts translated perfectly to the racetrack, where quick reflexes and fearlessness were requirements, not suggestions.

EARLY SUCCESS

Racing under her maiden name, Christine Cole made her debut at Australia’s most iconic endurance race, the Bathurst 1000, in 1968, co-driving a Morris Mini with Midge Whiteman to 41st place. It was the beginning of what would become the most prolific Bathurst career of any female driver in the event’s history. She met Fred Gibson—himself a highly successful racing driver—at the racetrack, because of course she did. Where else would two people obsessed with speed and competition find each other? Christine competed at Surfers Paradise and recalled, “I won the class and came fourth outright.” She also drove for the Holden Dealer Team in the early 1970s, piloting a prototype XU-1 GT-R Torana, cementing her reputation as a driver the factory teams wanted behind the wheel.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 1968: Made her Bathurst 1000 debut with Midge Whiteman, finishing 41st in a Morris Mini[1].
• Early 1970s: Competed for the Holden Dealer Team, driving a prototype XU-1 GT-R Torana[2].
• 1975: Finished 5th in the Australian Touring Car Championship, driving an Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV for Alfa Romeo Dealers Australia with 36 points—a stunning achievement in a four-cylinder car against V8-powered Holden Torana L34s[3]. Led the championship mid-season after taking four class wins before receiving a three-month suspension following a controversial incident at the final round in Adelaide[4].
• 1976: Co-drove with Marie-Claude Beaumont at Bathurst in an Alfa Romeo Alfetta[5].
• 1978: Shared a Holden Torana A9X with husband Fred Gibson at the Rothmans 500 endurance race—the only time the racing power couple competed in the same car[6].
• 1981: Was involved in the infamous collision at McPhillamy Park corner during the Bathurst 1000[7].
• 1983: Raced at Bathurst and was interviewed trackside by Evan Green[8].
• 1984: Drove with Glenn Seton at Bathurst, marking one of her final appearances in the Great Race[9].
• Late 1980s: Made limited appearances driving a Nissan Pulsar EXA in the final year of Group C racing, including several rounds of the AMSCAR touring series at Amaroo Park[10].
• Career: Holds the record for most Bathurst 1000 starts by a female driver with eight starts, competing from 1968 to 1984[11].
• Career: In addition to touring cars, competed in rally events including the Alpine Rally, Southern Cross Rally, and Dulux Rally[12].

INSPIRATIONS

No specific information available.

REPUTATION

Christine Gibson remains Australia’s most successful female touring car driver—a title she earned by showing up, year after year, and racing against legends like Peter Brock, Allan Grice, Colin Bond, and her own husband without backing down an inch. She didn’t just participate; she led championships, won classes, and earned factory drives with Alfa Romeo, Holden, and Nissan. The fact that she was pregnant during her remarkable 1975 Australian Touring Car Championship campaign—piloting a four-cylinder Alfa Romeo 2000 GTV to fifth overall against far more powerful V8 machinery—only adds to the legend. That season, she was leading the championship mid-year, an almost unthinkable achievement given the equipment disparity. She and Fred Gibson became Australia’s most famous husband-and-wife touring car team, serving as joint patrons of the 2012 Phillip Island Classic and hosting over 200 former employees and associates at a Gibson Motorsport reunion celebrating their Nissan racing legacy. Christine’s Bathurst record—eight starts—remains unmatched by any woman in the event’s storied history, a testament to her consistency, speed, and sheer determination to race at the highest level.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

No information available regarding future racing plans or goals.

REFERENCES

[1] Christine Gibson – Driver Database
[2] Racing Gibsons are joint 2012 PI Classic Patrons – Shannons Club
[3] 1975 Australian Touring Car Championship – Wikipedia
[4] The Mum-to-be and the Alfa that almost stole the 1975 ATCC – Shannons Club
[5] Female Drivers at the Bathurst 1000 – Speedqueens
[6] Racing Gibsons are joint 2012 PI Classic Patrons – Shannons Club
[7] Christine Gibson – Speedcafe.com
[8] CHRISTINE GIBSON Bathurst 1983 Interview – YouTube
[9] Christine Gibson – Speedcafe.com
[10] Nissan Pulsar EXA: The Group C Bluebird’s Sinister Offspring – Shannons Club
[11] Fast Female Drivers at Bathurst – Motor Heritage
[12] Christine Gibson – Speedcafe.com
[13] Fred Gibson (racing driver) – Wikipedia
[14] Christine Cole (Gibson) – Speedqueens