The Ford Mustang is a symbol of American car culture, but its influence stretches far beyond U.S. borders thanks to its popularity and success in global motorsports. The Mustang Challenge, a racing series featuring only the Mustang Dark Horse R, is the ultimate stage to showcase the pony car’s prowess, and it’s officially making its way to Australia, bringing the single-make division Down Under.
The Australian Mustang Challenge – which will be locally known as the Mustang Cup – will kick off in 2026, according to a report from V8 Sleuth. The automaker broke the news as part of its 100th anniversary celebration in the Oceanic country, meaning the tough Mustang Dark Horse R will soon set wheel on Australian circuits.
Ford is still in the process of hammering out the details with Motorsport Australia, including category management personnel. While the finer details are being kept close to the vest, including power specs and whether the Ford Mustang Dark Horse R for this series will be right-hand-drive, the Blue Oval indicated that it is gunning for a 20-car field to start. The series is expected to slot in above the country’s Toyota GR Cup, and will give teams that may not have the budget for Super2 or Carrera Cup competition an opportunity to race.
Earlier this year, Ford Performance broke the news that the automaker intended to take the Mustang Cup beyond U.S. borders in the near future. Now that Australia has been checked off from the list, the series is expected to expand into Europe and other markets where there’s demand for the Ford Mustang Dark Horse R and an exclusive racing series to showcase the race car.
The Mustang Challenge is a passion project for Ford CEO Jim Farley, too. He’s personally driven a Mustang Dark Horse R in the division already and recently announced that he’s teaming up with MDK and Competition Motors to race again in 2025.
Comments
So that’ll take Jim away from real work for a week or 10 days. But, he’s just SO busy with work. Uh huh.
Good to see Jim out in the real world learning what we need and want Ford to produce. If future Ford products are as good and even better than my error free 2023 Bronco Sport, I will be buying more Ford vehicles in the future.