Toyota takes Supra to Supercars grid

TOYOTA Australia has announced it will participate in the Repco Supercars Championship from 2026, taking the fight to Chevrolet and Ford using a locally-developed GEN3 GR Supra.

The company says it plans to field at least four GEN3 GR Supra race cars, confirming the first two will be operated by homologation partner Walkinshaw Andretti United (WUA) and piloted by drivers Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood.

Toyota Australia says it has already begun initial design work on the GR Supra race car through its in-house team at Altona in Melbourne, using CAD and VR technology to produce a scale clay model.

The company will do away with the BMW straight-six, opting instead to use its own 2UR-GSE V8 – the same quad-cam unit that powered the HiLux to a Dakar win in 2019.

Vice president of sales, marketing and franchise operations at Toyota, Sean Hanley, said the brand’s participation in Supercars was a dream come true  – visibly excited as he announced the Supra’s participation to the media.

“We have been toying with the idea of competing in Supercars for more than 20 years and now with the right car, the right team, and a very strong partnership with the Repco Supercars Championship, the time is definitely right,” Mr Hanley said.

“My goodness, how many times over how many years have you seen the speculation about Toyota going into Supercars? And it wasn’t always unfounded. Just before the turn of the century, I can tell you from my own experience, we seriously considered Supercars as we prepared to launch Avalon.

“Ultimately, though, and I can recollect this vividly, we decided the category back then was just a bit too tribal,” he said, referring to the hardcore Ford and Holden fans who at the time might not have taken kindly to a Japanese entrant.

Joining Toyota Australia in its Supercars quest is established player Walkinshaw Andretti United (WAU), bringing seven Bathurst 1000 wins, six Drivers Championships, and 191 Championship race wins to the table.

“To announce our future with Toyota Australia, as it enters the Supercars Championship from 2026, is a fantastic honour and privilege for everyone at Walkinshaw Andretti United,” said WAU director, Ryan Walkinshaw.

“We have developed a fantastic relationship with Toyota Australia through the Walkinshaw Group, and we are delighted to extend that partnership into Walkinshaw Andretti United – we can’t wait to share success together in 2026 and beyond."

As Mr Hanley pointed out during the announcement, Toyota’s long and storied involvement in Australian motorsport dates back to 1957 when it competed in its first international event – entering a Toyopet Crown in the cross-country Mobilgas Rally.

“Motorsport informs everything from quality and reliability, to performance and efficiency, and we were the first Japanese car manufacturer to enter international motorsport, contesting the around Australia trial way back in 1957,” he said.

“This is why many people within our organisation consider Australia to be the birthplace of Toyota motorsport and now, 67 years later, the purpose for competing remains the same.”

The manufacturer saw significant local motorsport success in the decades that followed its humble debut in the Mobilgas Rally, with a class win in the Hardie-Ferodo 500 – the forerunner to the Bathurst 1000 – in 1968 and several wins in the Australian Touring Car Championship through the late ‘80s.

“Toyota has been a fixture in Australian motorsport for decades,” Mr Hanley said.

“We had multiple class victories at Bathurst, we set records in the Australian Touring Car championships, and we've seen Supra win the Australian Production Car Championship in 1989 and, of course, the inaugural Bathurst 12 Hour in 1991.”

These days, the company’s local motorsport involvement includes the popular one-make GR Cup and factory-backed teams in the Australian Rally Championship (ARC), but for the first time it will participate in the pinnacle of Australian motorsport – the Supercars Championship.

While Toyota Australia’s scale clay model of the new Supra race car was shown in person for the announcement, a full-size example will be rolled out at the Bathurst 1000 race next month.