Triple Eight announces shock return to Ford, dropping Chevrolet to race Mustang V8 Supercars from 2026
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Triple Eight Race Engineering, General Motors’ and the sport’s most successful Supercars team, is returning to Ford from next year as Toyota also joins the field with Walkinshaw-backed Supra.
The Supercars Championship’s most successful team is ditching the Camaro for the Mustang, and plans to assume the role of Ford’s Supercars homologation team from 2026.
The top secret news was leaked prior to Ford’s announcement today, delivered simultaneously in Australia and the USA, with a livestream broadcast during the Ford Performance racing season launch at its hub in North Carolina.
Andrew Birkic, President and CEO of Ford Australia, said: “This partnership is about delivering an unforgettable experience for our fans, and is a statement of our commitment to Australian motorsport. This is also a demonstration of Ford's motorsport ambition, which is stronger than ever.”
Triple Eight Race Engineering campaigned Commodores from 2010 and became the factory team in 2017, transitioning to the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 when made it made its debut in 2023 along with the Gen3 ruleset.
Prior to this, Triple Eight was aligned with Ford, running factory-backed Falcons from 2003 to 2009.
During this period, the partnership achieved great success, with three Bathurst 1000 victories for Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup, along with back-to-back Drivers’ championships for Whincup.
However, after losing factory support, they switched to Holden and was officially granted the Holden Racing Team title in 2017.
While General Motors (GM) has lost its top team, not to mention the fact the Camaro is out of production and hasn’t been sold in Australia since 2020, the brand is committed to maintaining its presence in the sport – for at least another season.
“GM has had a long and highly successful partnership with Triple Eight Race Engineering,” said Jess Bala, Managing Director General Motors Australia and New Zealand.
“We share the disappointment with fans about Triple Eight's decision, and the news that they will be moving to Ford in 2026.
“Eyes forward on the 2025 Supercars season – we look forward to extending our full support to all the Chevrolet Racing Camaro teams, for another year of on track success.”
They're not the first team to make a switch for the 2026 season, with Walkinshaw Andretti United (WAU) dumping Ford for Toyota as the first to race the latest GR Supra in the series.
With WAU's switch, Ford Performance’s current 2026 line-up will feature five teams, including Triple Eight, alongside other celebrated teams such as Dick Johnson Racing and Tickford Racing.
Triple Eight's success with General Motors has been remarkable, securing 11 drivers’ championships and 12 teams’ championships – the most recent in 2024, won by rising star Will Brown.
Triple Eight will continue to compete as Red Bull Ampol Racing in the Australian Supercars Championship.
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