Toyota: Everything to know about its entry in 2026

Toyota will join the Repco Supercars Championship in 2026, marking a new era for the premier motorsport category in Australia.

The Gen3 ruleset, introduced in 2023, has attracted a third brand to Supercars, with Toyota to race against Ford and Chevrolet.

A successful brand in Australia and overseas, Toyota has high hopes of continuing that success in Supercars, and has secured powerhouse team Walkinshaw Andretti United as its homologation squad.

So, why is Toyota joining Supercars? Supercars.com breaks down what you need to know after Wednesday's major announcement.

Why has Toyota joined Supercars?

The Toyota GR Supra will race against Ford and Chevrolet in the V8 Supercars championship from 2026.

Supercars becomes the latest part of Toyota's Australian motorsport portfolio, alongside one-make grassroots Toyota GAZOO Racing Australia (TGRA) Scholarship Series and GR Cup, and the TGRA Rally Team alongside Neal Bates Motorsport.

Toyota has committed to racing in Supercars for five years, and will become the third brand to race in the Gen3 era alongside Ford and Chevrolet, extending the famous marque’s commitment to Australian motorsport.

Critically, it's the latest step in Toyota's GR performance arm, which has a range of performance cars including the GR86, GR Yaris, GR Corolla and GR Supra.

Toyota Australia Vice President Sales, Marketing and Franchise Operations 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.

"This is truly an historic moment. Our GR brand and performance cars were built on the knowledge that we gain from participating in top-level motorsport and our entry into the Supercars Championship will cement that connection and give us the opportunity to showcase Toyota GAZOO Racing excitement to a wide audience of passionate fans.

“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.

"With our strong and ever-growing partnerships with Walkinshaw Andretti United and Supercars, we are in it, to win it."

What engine will the Toyota Supercar use?

The GR Supra will use Toyota’s 2UR-GSE all-aluminium, quad-cam V8 as its baseline engine. The engine has featured in a range of performance production cars, as well as the 2019 Dakar-winning HiLux.

Why now?

Toyota always dreamed of winning the Bathurst 1000, but "tribalism" ensured the brand remained on the sidelines, leaving Ford and Holden the main players for nearly three decades.

Until now.

In that time, the likes of Nissan, Volvo and Mercedes-AMG have all come and gone without hitting the very top of the sport. At most, Toyota was a category partner through its Lexus Safety Car, but feels the time is right now to have a big crack.

Importantly, Toyota believes its Supra is the best car to take on the Mustang and Camaro in Supercars.

Hanley added: "I was a junior manager when we first started talking about Supercars or V8s, and it was a lot of great history. We’re also very respectful of the huge brand loyalty to Ford and Holden in that era.

"We often wondered, if we ever went out and won this race, what would really happen? Probably more risky to win it than not to play at all.

"So back in the tribal days – and I have no doubt that that tribalism still exists – but there’s now room for a new player, and I think it’s timely."

What teams and drivers will be racing Toyota Supercars?

Toyota will field a minimum of four Gen3 GR Supras in 2026. Two will to be run by homologation team partner Walkinshaw Andretti United, driven by Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood.

In 2026, the Walkinshaw team will compete with a third major brand, following stints with Holden (1990-2016) and Ford (2023-2025).

The second team to race Supras in the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship will be announced in due course.

What do Ford and Chevrolet think?

It's a new era and a new rivalry. For the first time since 2019, three manufacturers will go head-to-head in Supercars, with GR Supras, Mustangs and Camaros to fight for glory.

Ford and Chevrolet have both welcomed the news, a Chevrolet statement saying: "Toyota is a formidable competitor to GM in many race series around the world. Their involvement in Supercars will elevate the profile of our fantastic racing series both here and internationally."

Global Ford motorsport boss Mark Rushbrook admitted it was bittersweet; while a third manufacturer will increase the competition, WAU will depart the Ford family: "While we’re disappointed to lose such a strong competitor in Walkinshaw Andretti United, we welcome the additional competition that comes with the addition of a third manufacturer to the Supercars Championship."

What next for fans?

In an exciting taste for what's to come, a full scale model of the GR Supra Supercar will be launched at the upcoming Repco Bathurst 1000, ensuring fans will be able to get up close and personal with the new car.

Stay tuned for more updates about the new car.

What is Toyota’s history in Australian motorsport?

Toyota is a dominant force in international competition, notably winning championships in the World Endurance Championship, the World Rally Championship and NASCAR.

Currently, Toyota supports its one-make grassroots TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia (TGRA) Scholarship Series and GR Cup, and Australian Rally Championship (ARC) squad TGRA Rally Team alongside Neal Bates Motorsport.

Toyota’s history motorsport participation in Australia stretches back when a Toyopet Crown competed in the 1957 Mobilgas Rally (Round Australia) with two Japanese drivers and an Australian navigator.

Toyota has a decorated history at Mount Panorama, taking class victories with the Corolla in 1968 and 1969. Between 1985 and 1990, the factory-backed Toyota Team Australia competed in the Australian Touring Car Championship, the precursor to what we now know as the Repco Supercars Championship. In that time, the team claimed several class-wins with the Toyota Corolla, including an eight-year streak in Bathurst between 1985 to 1992.

Toyota Australia has since supported factory teams in the ARC, with Neal Bates and Coral Taylor winning titles in 1993, 1994 and 1995 (Toyota Celica GT-Four) and 2008 (Corolla S2000). Simon and Sue Evans also steered a Corolla Sportivo to titles in 2006 and 2007.

In 2015, Toyota brought its global motorsport activity under the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing banner. In Australia, Toyota launched the one-make Toyota 86 Series on Supercars support cards. There, the likes of Will Brown, Broc Feeney and Cameron Hill became future stars.

In 2018, Toyota launched TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Australia to align with the global branding and announced it would again support a two-car factory backed team to compete in the 2019 ARC. Harry Bates and co-driver John McCarthy won the 2019 and 2021 ARC titles, with Harry’s brother Lewis and co-driver Anthony McLoughlin winning in 2022. Harry and Coral Taylor won in 2023.

In 2024, the second-tier Toyota 86 Scholarship Series in 2023 was launched, with the one-make Toyota 86 series renamed the GR Cup in 2024.