Cauchi: Triple Eight Ford switch 'eliminates excuse book'

Triple Eight’s move to Ford “eliminates the excuse book” for Penrite Racing, says Team Principal David Cauchi.

Triple Eight will join Penrite Racing, Tickford Racing, Dick Johnson Racing and Blanchard Racing Team in the Ford fold from 2026.

Triple Eight has been the dominant team in Supercars for nearly 20 years, spending much of that time in General Motors machinery.

Triple Eight has won nine of the last 15 drivers’ championships and seven of the last 15 Bathurst 1000s since it going GM from Ford in 2010.

From 2026, Triple Eight's Ford move will leave a gaping hole in GM's Supercars stocks. Since it moved to GM machinery in 2010, Triple Eight has taken 215 of GM's 296 wins in Supercars in the last 16 seasons.

In the Gen3 era, since the start of 2023, Triple Eight has won 25 of 64 races, more than any other team.

Penrite Racing has signed former Triple Eight engineers Cauchi and Grant McPherson in recent years, and have proven capable to toppling Triple Eight at their best.

Most recently, the Grove squad outsmarted Triple Eight to deliver a stunning victory for Matt Payne in Tasmania.

With Triple Eight crossing the divide in 2026, Cauchi knows Triple Eight’s move will put the performance of other Ford under the microscope.

“I can’t wait,” Cauchi replied when asked about Triple Eight joining Ford next season.

“I think it’s the ultimate challenge to go up against what’s been one of the best teams in the sport for quite a long time now.

“To be in the same equipment, it eliminates the excuse book and we’ll go out there and hopefully have some more stellar races like we had [in Tasmania].

“We’re going to work with them to make sure that the product is as good as it can be and we can go out and produce some fantastic racing.

Broc Feeney leads Will Brown by 33 points heading to Perth on June 6-8, with Payne 75 points down.