Toyota to enter Repco Supercars Championship from 2026 with V8-powered Supra

Toyota Supras will line up in opposition to Ford Mustangs and Chevrolet Camaros in the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship, as Australia’s most keen effect in the end enters our premier touring automobile championship.

Toyota guarantees it’s in Supercars for the prolonged haul, and “I’m no longer coming in to end 2nd,” mentioned Sean Hanley, vice president of gross sales and marketing at Toyota Australia, while acknowledging that nothing comes easy in motorsport.

The Japanese extensive has appointed Walkinshaw Andretti United as its homologation and racing partner. It’s an glaring slump as Melbourne-primarily based Walkinshaw Automobile Personnel has done upright-hand force conversions on Toyota’s Tundra rotund-measurement pickups.

The racing Supra will exhaust Toyota’s 5.0L naturally-aspirated V8 2UR-GSE engine, which has already chanced on motorsport success in the Dakar Rally-winning HiLux in 2019.

Avenue-going Supras in Australia exhaust a BMW-sourced 3.0-litre turbo six-cylinder, however dinky six-pots don’t in the good buy of the mustard in Australia’s big-banger touring autos.

Two Supras will line up for the 2026 Supercars season, and Toyota’s employed high weapons Ryan Wood and Chaz Mostert to pilot them. The final blueprint is to field an additional two Supras, with yet one more crew to enhance Toyota’s illustration in the extinguish.

Impress constructing and Bathurst glory

The emblem makes no secret its final goal is standing on the high step of Bathurst’s podium.

“We’ve had extra than one class victories at Bathurst,” mentioned Hanley. “We’ve feature records in the Australian Touring Automobile Championships, and we’ve viewed Supra glean the Australian Manufacturing Automobile Championship in 1989, and on the inaugural Bathurst 12 Hour in 1991.”

But competing in the dominant category – Supercars – hasn’t in terms of fruition till now.

Hanley urged the decision used to be made no longer to enter in the previous because it used to be “proper somewhat bit too tribal,” referencing the historical, impassioned and on occasion grotesque rivalry between Ford and Holden supporters.

“In that generation, attributable to of the extensive effect loyalty to Ford and Holden, we most ceaselessly puzzled if we ever went out and obtained this bustle (Bathurst), what would primarily happen?” he mentioned. “It used to be potentially riskier to glean than no longer to play at all.”

While it’s a prolonged-held perception that motorsport improves the breed, Toyota Australia furthermore sees this Supercars slump because the excellent manner to showcase its Gazoo Racing (GR) fluctuate – the GR Yaris, GR Corolla, GR86 and GR Supra.

“These are fun-to-force sports actions autos that resonate with a really passionate fan homely,” mentioned Hanley. “Folks are going to toughen us, and that’ll elevate heaps of of us into Toyota dealerships, these that don’t in general slump there.”

Glean on Sunday, sell on Monday, eh?

Different positives mentioned personal been the importance of motorsport to heaps of Toyota’s 260 sellers, and the device in which it might perchance perchance perchance attract instant-in-provide technicians, wanting to align with a effect promoting efficiency sports actions autos and operating a extremely viewed home motorsport program.

“It can perchance give Gazoo Racing some distance extra credibility on this nation,” Hanley persisted. “We know we’re going to personal a laborious worn time to salvage there, however I promise you we don’t give up. We don’t discontinue. And we can glean this bustle in the end.”

As mentioned, it’s certain Toyota Australia’s no longer coming into to proper originate up the numbers.

On the clicking announcement, a quarter-scale clay mannequin of the racing Supra used to be proven (it looked loyal), while a rotund-measurement clay mannequin shall be proven on the Bathurst 1000 subsequent month.

The response it receives from the Holden and Ford faithful shall be attention-grabbing to peer.