Yep, Toyota Australia has confirmed it is going to be entering the local Repco Supercars series (previously called V8 Supercars) from 2026, with a V8-powered GR Supra racing car.
Toyota has teamed up with Walkinshaw Andretti United (WAU) for its official homologation partner, with four vehicles. Two of the vehicles will be run by Toyota WAU, with Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood as drivers. Toyota Australia’s vice president of sales and marketing, Sean Hanley, said:
“At Toyota, 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.”
Hanley says its GR vehicles and brand have been developed on the back of motorsport, and this new venture further cements that philosophy. Hanley also said:
“It will also provide an opportunity for a continuous career pathway for drivers and teams that we first established when we launched the one-make Toyota 86 Series nine years ago, as an affordable grassroots circuit-racing category, run as a support series at select Supercars Championship events around the country.”
Toyota will be the third car brand to enter the championship, with Ford and Chevrolet. Although it is sad the days of Ford-vs-Holden, with locally-produced vehicles, are gone, having the best-selling can brand in the country in the sport should get fans excited. Walkinshaw Andretti United director Ryan Walkinshaw said:
“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.
“While the future is certainly exciting, our immediate focus is on the remainder of 2024 and the 2025 seasons, winning races, and sending off our relationship with Ford the right way.”
Walkinshaw currently runs a team with Ford Mustang vehicles, but this partnership expires at the end of the 2025 season.
So, what will power the GR Supra Supercar? Toyota will implant its awesome 2UR-GSE 5.0-litre V8 into the sporty coupe. Specific details on the engine are yet to be revealed, but it comes from models such as the IS F, GS F, and RCF, and the current LC 500, and has powered the 2019 Dakar-winning HiLux rally car.
All aluminium with quad cams, it is sure to provide a meaty V8 soundtrack on Australian racing circuits. In showroom form it features D-4S injection, which is both direct and port injection, as well as Yamaha-designed heads, a compression ratio as high as 12.3:1 (IS F was 11.8:1), and a redline of up to 7300rpm.
