The Australian Supercars Championship series is currently a two-horse race between Ford and Chevy, but in 2026, a third manufacturer will join the fold: Toyota. Unfortunately for Ford, though, that shiny new competitor looks a little too enticing to its fastest Supercars team, as Walkinshaw Andretti United (WAU) will ditch The Blue Oval for Toyota at the end of the 2025 racing season.
Toyota recently confirmed that it will compete in the 2026 Supercars Championship season and beyond, fielding Toyota GR Supra race cars for its teams through at least 2031. There are four confirmed GR Supra racers in the pack in 2026, two of which will be from the WAU stable, driven by Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood. The second team will be announced at a later date.
Two years ago, WAU announced its intent to drop its alliance with the now-defunct Holden in favor of fielding Ford Mustang GT race cars for its drivers. Since swapping to Ford, Mostert has routinely shown himself to be one of the most competitive drivers in the field, and the loss of his talent will be a big blow to The Blue Oval.
Ford Performance head Mark Rushbrook expressed his disappointment with WAU’s defection, but said that he’s looking forward to doing battle on track with Toyota in the future.
“While we are disappointed to lose such a strong competitor in Walkinshaw Andretti United, we welcome the additional competition that comes with the addition of a third manufacturer to the Supercars Championship,” Rushbrook said in a statement. “Ford Performance always welcomes competition, and we race against Toyota in many series across the world including Dakar, NASCAR and sports car racing. We look forward to competing against them in the Supercars Championship from 2026.”
The Ford-Chevy-Toyota rivalry in Supercars will mirror that which already exists in NASCAR, where Mustang Dark Horse-based race cars currently compete against Chevy Camaro ZL1 and Toyota TRD Camry entries. Toyota also fields Supra race cars in the Xfinity Series.
No Comments yet