Supercars: Toyota set to take series to another level, puts rivals on notice ahead of 2025 entry

Walkinshaw Andretti United co-owner Ryan Walkinshaw has vowed Toyota’s Supercars entry in 2026 will “elevate the sport to another level”, as a rival team revealed their wariness of the series newcomers.

Walkinshaw Andretti United co-owner Ryan Walkinshaw has vowed Toyota’s Supercars entry in 2026 will “elevate the sport to another level” as another team owner flagged interest in his Camaro squad representing the Japanese car giant on the grid.

Ahead of the unveiling of the first full-scale model of the Toyota Supra Supercar at Mount Panorama on Friday, the Bathurst display is set to whet the appetite of series race fans.

The bombshell news of Toyota’s Supercars arrival has made waves in the category with Triple Eight boss Jamie Whincup predicting it would “no doubt be very painful for us” and would force everyone in pit lane to lift their game.

In one of the most significant announcements for the series in history, Toyota was last month confirmed as the third manufacturer on the Supercars grid alongside General Motors and Ford from 2026 onwards.

Toyota will compete in its GR Supra model and WAU, which currently campaigns in a Ford, will be the homologation team and the first squad to represent the marque.

The deal is for Toyota to have four cars on the Supercars grid, with Team 18’s owner Charlie Schwerkolt suggesting on Thursday he would be open to throwing his team’s hat into the mix to also represent the manufacturer.

Walkinshaw said his team had been thrilled to be a part of the “most significant news” in the category’s recent history and said Toyota would help “push boundaries” in the sport.

New Zealand young gun Ryan Wood, pictured with team owner Ryan Walkinshaw, will drive for Walkinshaw Andretti United in Supercars from next year. Pic: Supplied (**Not for use until Friday Sept 1 6AM**)

“We made no secret that we wanted to be an homologation team for a manufacturer for a long time,” Walkinshaw said.

“We had aspirations that maybe that would be Ford one day in the future, but when Toyota came knocking on our door and asked us if we would be interested, obviously that is something that you are never going to turn down.

“It’s a fantastic brand, one of the greatest manufacturers on the planet and the largest one in Australia. It’s really exciting for how that is going to elevate the sport going forward and also our team.

“Toyota don’t do things by halves …. I have no doubt that they will elevate Supercars to another level.

“You want someone that is going to come into the category that is going to start pushing the boundaries and elevating the sport because that is going to allow the other manufacturers to do the same thing.

“We want everyone pushing together, a rising tide raises all ships. I see Toyota as that new rising tide in this category.”

The new Toyota Supra Supercar under wraps at Bathurst. Picture: Supplied

Walkinshaw said the timeline for when his team would have a Supra ready to unveil was a “moving target”, but was confident the team had enough time to get it “done properly” before Toyota’s debut in 2026.

“We’ve got two main objectives. We need to make sure we’ve got a car that is competitive from day one when they enter the category in 2026 and we need to make sure we also have a car that is also reliable from day one,” Walkinshaw said.

“They are our two main objectives to ensure we have reliability and competitiveness.

“So we are not here not to win races, we have been doing that very well for the last few years …. and we want to continue that momentum, we definitely don’t want to take a step backwards we’ve got to keep building on what we’ve built.

“That’s one of the reasons why Toyota choose us as their homologation team and we have aspirations to win championships with them, but for the meantime we have still got this season and next season with Ford, so until we end up moving over to Toyota, our objective is to do the same thing – win Bathursts and win championships with Ford before we say goodbye and move over to our new manufacturer.”

Team 18 owner Charlie Schwekolt (right) with Mark Winterbottom back in 2022. Picture: Mark Horsburgh

There has been speculation linking Schwerkolt’s Team 18 as a contender to switch to Toyota and he did not rule it out when speaking at Bathurst on Thursday.

“I would look at it for sure,” Schwerkolt said.

“Obviously I’ve got a (business) relationship with Toyota and all that sort of stuff, but I think they are going to go through a tender process and see what happens.

“So, we’ll see where it goes for sure.”

As the team principal of GM rivals Triple Eight, Whincup welcomed Toyota’s entry to the series and said it would force everybody to lift.

“It’s massive news, it’s one of the most monumental moments in the sport’s history,” Whincup said in the lead-up to Bathurst.

“Couldn’t be happier for the series and Walkinshaw as well. Credit where credit is due. They’ve both done a fantastic job at getting Toyota in the series.

“It’s fantastic for the whole sport and (we’re) looking forward to competing against them in 2026.

Jamie Whincup gave credit to the new team, but admitted it could be painful for his Triple Eight racing team. Picture: Getty Images

“No doubt they will bring extra competition, it will no doubt be very painful for us.

“But when I look back at my 20 year career, it is those battles and challenges that are the most critical.

“At the time, the (DJR Team) Penske era when they were very dominant and cleaning us up most weekends, I probably respect that era more than at times when we were dominant.

“I love the competition, I love the battle and no doubt they (Toyota) will make us all raise our game and that’s what it’s all about.”

ENDS

Originally published as Supercars: Toyota set to take series to another level, puts rivals on notice ahead of 2025 entry