'We want to beat them': Waters reignites Tickford/Triple Eight rivalry

Tickford Racing star Cam Waters is determined get the jump on Triple Eight Race Engineering ahead of the latter's return to Ford.

After 16 seasons racing General Motors machinery to countless wins and championships, Red Bull Ampol Racing makes the blockbuster move to Ford from 2026.

Ford's new-look line-up will see Triple Eight take on Tickford, Grove Racing, Dick Johnson Racing and Blanchard Racing Team in the fight for Ford honours, in a year Toyota arrives and GM fights to stay at the front.

Triple Eight will also be preparing a third car for SCT Motorsport and rookie Jackson Walls, following Pete Smith's decision to take his license away from Brad Jones Racing.

Triple Eight and Tickford, then Ford Performance Racing, went head-to-head between 2003 and 2009. The rivalry had its flashpoints, headlined by run-ins between team spearheads Jamie Whincup and Mark Winterbottom.

From 2026, Waters and Thomas Randle are charged with taking on Triple Eight's formidable duo of Broc Feeney and Will Brown, who have combined for 26 wins and 27 poles across the last two seasons.

While excited to welcome Triple Eight to the Ford fold, Waters wants his team to lead the way.

"We're welcoming Triple Eight into the Ford camp, but we want to beat them,” Waters told Supercars.com.

“It’s obviously cool to have them in a Ford, the same manufacturer as us. So to benchmark against them is pretty cool. There's some really good Ford teams out there, so to be the best Ford team, you have to do a bloody good job."

Waters has been by far and away Ford's leading light since Scott McLaughlin departed in 2020. Across the last five seasons, Waters has won 16 races, twice as many as the next best in Anton De Pasquale, who has now with Team 18 and GM for 12 months and counting.

Waters is also Ford's most successful Ford driver in the Gen3 era, with 10 wins. Matt Payne and Chaz Mostert have seven each, but Mostert is now with Toyota, and Payne has been linked to a move to GM, underscoring how important Waters and Triple Eight could be.

The 2025 season appeared to be Waters' for the taking after a perfect weekend in Sydney, beating both Red Bull Ampol drivers in a dramatic photo finish, only for the Monster Ford to go winless thereafter.

As the year wore on, Tickford watched on as other Fords won the drivers' championship (Walkinshaw Andretti United) and Bathurst 1000 (Grove Racing), and finished behind both teams in the points standings.

Waters admitted Tickford fell short at critical moments throughout 2025, but suggested such slip-ups will be a thing of the past come 2026.

"I think the last few years, there's been other factors for the Fords. They’re not excuses, the facts are there's been issues. Hopefully they’re gone now," Waters said.

"Triple Eight has been the benchmark team, so to have them with Ford is cool. Now it’s going to be a battle to be the best Ford team, hopefully we’re the best.

"I think it'll be a pretty cool year to be a Ford fan. Last year, there were plenty of Fords up there, they were very competitive.

"Last year, we probably lacked a little bit. If the Tickford cars are a bit stronger than they kind of were at the end of last year, and we roll out strong at Sydney, it should be a cool year for us."

The new season commences in Sydney on February 20-22. Tickets are on sale now.