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Toyota is set to deliver one of the biggest shake-ups in Australian motorsport in 2026, when it becomes the third manufacturer to join the Supercars championship after somehow keeping the move a secret for almost a year and a half.
The Japanese automotive giant, which dominates vehicle sales in Australia, revealed its decision to join the series on Wednesday ahead of its motor dealers conference on the Gold Coast.
The news comes after years of speculation about its participation in the sport, and will make Toyota the first manufacturer other than Ford and General Motors to race in the competition since 2019.
Toyota sales and marketing vice-president Sean Hanley said the company had considered entering the Supercars championship for years, and almost made the move in 2000 around the launch of its Avalon model.
‘We decided the category back then was just a little bit too tribal,’ he said.
‘Finally, it’s happening. We’re bringing to life a dream, a dream that many of us at Toyota have entertained for more than 20 years.’
Hanley said Toyota would debut a GR Supra in the competition, redesigned in-house and featuring a five-litre V8 engine, and would publicly show a full-sized model of the vehicle at the Bathurst 1000 race next month.
Toyota Australia would aim to enter four vehicles in the 2026 Supercars championship, he said, and would commit to participating in the race for at least five years.
Pictured: A promotional image showing a stock-standard Toyota Supra (left) and a model that represents roughly how the car will look when it lines up on the grid in 2026 (right)
Supercars CEO Shane Howard revealed how the parties were able to keep the huge development under wraps for so long.
‘To be honest, I was absolutely amazed,’ he told News Corp when asked about the move staying quiet.
‘This conversation has been going on for 15 months.
‘We were all under NDAs [non-disclosure agreements] and that included our board, a very small group within Supercars being the technical department and the executive and our staff were not even aware of this.’
Behind the wheel of two of the Supras will be Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood of Walkinshaw Andretti United, who will be Toyota’s homologation partner.
‘It’s probably the biggest news in our race team’s history,’ said WAU director Ryan Walkinshaw.
While they busily develop a race car for Toyota behind the scenes, the team will still be chasing championship titles racing Mustangs in 2024 and 2025, with Mostert currently in second place in this season’s standings.
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Toyota will be the third automaker represented in the motorsport after Nissan pulled out of the competition in 2019.
Supercars chief executive Shane Howard said Toyota’s entrance into the sport would capture the attention of racing fans worldwide.
‘Having three global brands, Toyota, Ford and GM, battling it out on the same grid will elevate Supercars to new heights,’ he said.
‘These are powerhouse names in the automotive world.’
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Despite being a new addition to the Supercars championship, Toyota is no stranger to Australia’s touring cars circuit.
The GR Cup, featuring Toyota 86 coupes, has been a support category on the Supercars circuit since 2016.
The brand also competes in many motorsport events around the world, including NASCAR and Formula Drift in the United States, Super GT and Super Formula in Japan, and Formula Three in Europe.
