Ford motorsport arm undergoes global rebrand

Ford’s global motorsport division, which includes the Blue Oval’s Supercars teams, will return to its roots under the ‘Ford Racing’ banner.

Announced Thursday, Ford Performance will be rebranded as Ford Racing, some 11 years after the last major change.

In 2014, Ford launched 'Ford Performance’ and merged Special Vehicle Team, Special Vehicle Operations, and Ford Racing all under one umbrella.

In 2026, Ford is about to enter its 125th year since founder Henry Ford won his first and only race in the Sweepstakes in 1901. Ford has been racing around the world ever since, and longer than any American OEM still in existence.

The Blue Oval has a rich racing history in Australia, particularly in Supercars, thanks to multiple championship and Bathurst victories in the last six decades.

The change comes as Ford prepares to return to Formula 1 with Red Bull Racing and Racing Bulls. Ford will also return to the top-tier of prototype sports car racing in 2027 in the World Endurance Championship.

All Ford Mustangs in the Repco Supercars Championship currently carry significant Ford branding. All Ford Supercars carry the logo above the front grille, and on the rear and C-pillars. The Ford Performance logo is also on the rear bumper.

All Ford entrants in global series will adopt Ford Racing branding moving forward. Ford's Supercars teams will carry the new branding from next season.

Ford is also set to bring the Mustang Challenge to Australia in 2026, with a GT3 Mustang also tipped to contest the 2026 Meguiar's Bathurst 12 Hour.

In a letter to Ford fans, Ford Racing General Manager Will Ford said great-great-grandfather Henry's 1901 victory hailed a chance to return to Ford's roots, writing: "That DNA — that need to prove ourselves, to innovate under pressure, and to win—is why we are here today. It’s why we are going back to our roots.

"This is not a marketing exercise. This is a promise. It signals a new, more focused mission to tear down the wall between our race teams and the engineering of the vehicles you drive every day on and off road.

"Under one global Ford Racing banner, our engineers and designers will develop our performance road cars right alongside our race cars. The technology that survives the Baja 1000 will be in the DNA of the next F-150 Raptor. The aerodynamic lessons we learn at Daytona and Le Mans will be sculpted into the body of the next Mustang.

"Make no mistake: We are competing at the highest levels across the globe—from Formula 1 to the World Rally Championship, from Le Mans to Bathurst. And we are going there with a single purpose. We don’t just go to races. We go to win."

Earlier on Thursday, Tickford Racing and Ford Performance announced NASCAR Cup Series Ford driver Austin Cindric will race a wildcard Mustang at November's bp Adelaide Grand Final, in what is the latest show of strength of Ford's global motorsport army.

Ford's Supercars teams Penrite Racing, Tickford, Walkinshaw Andretti United, Dick Johnson Racing and Blanchard Racing Team will resume their Supercars campaigns at the AirTouch 500 at The Bend on September 12-14.

Triple Eight Race Engineering will join the Ford family in 2026, with WAU shifting to Toyota.