Supercars 2025: Supercars boss Shane Howard has his say on General Motors future after shock Triple Eight move, Toyota entry, calendar and major series revamp
The Supercars season will kick off next week in Sydney after a preseason Ford bombshell. Supercars boss Shane Howard has his say on what it means for their rivals – and other talking points – ahead of the opening round.
Supercars chief executive Shane Howard is confident the General Motors brand has a strong future in the series, declaring “GM isn’t going anywhere” after the blow of Triple Eight’s defection to Ford.
In a pre-season bombshell that rocked the sport late last month, the powerhouse squad announced it was leaving GM and switching from Chevrolet Camaros to a return to Ford from 2026.
The shock move from the defending Supercars champions, who claimed both the drivers’ and teams’ titles last year, has sparked uncertainty over the future of GM in the series.
GM has campaigned in a Camaro, which replaced the Holden Commodore, in Supercars since 2023, but the model is now globally out of production.
In an interview ahead of the opening round of the season, Howard addressed the major off-season news and what it meant for GM and its future in the series.
Howard said his discussions with GM had been positive and he was confident there would be three manufacturers on the grid next year when Toyota joins the field.
“We’ve had very good conversations and they are very positive in regards to (GM) remaining in the sport and I think they are going to come back very strong,” Howard said.
“They are surrounded by good teams, good people and I think they will drive a good outcome from it.
“We obviously welcome GM into the sport, and from my understanding of the conversations that I have had, GM isn’t going anywhere.
“It is very important for us to have GM in Supercars, they are part of the fabric of the whole sport.
“I am absolutely confident that we will have three manufacturers on the grid for 2026.”
The Triple Eight move has not only cost GM the leading squad in pit lane, but also left them on the search for a new homologation team, a role Red Bull is set to take on for Ford – subject to ratification by all the other Mustang teams.
A similar process will also need to be undertaken by GM to anoint its new homologation team from the remaining Camaro squads – Erebus Motorsport, Team 18, PremiAir Racing, Brad Jones Racing and Matt Stone Racing.
“(GM) are in the process now of investigating who their next HT will be and who will deliver that responsibility for them,” Howard said.
“If you look at a cross section of those teams, there are some very experienced teams there and they all have attributes that will be strongly considered by GM.”
TOYOTA TIME
Howard expected last year’s major announcement of global car giant Toyota’s entry to the Supercars grid to drive more interest among other manufacturers, but he said the series had not entered into any other discussions as yet.
He said Supercars was focused on developing the new car with Toyota and its homologation team Walkinshaw Andretti United for its 2026 Supra debut.
“The Toyota announcement is one of the biggest announcements that we have ever had in the sport and it is a step change for us and our business,” Howard said.
“I think that will drive more interest (among other manufacturers).
“We are going through the process now with Toyota and WAU in regard to getting the car homologated, there is a lot of work in that and everyone is flat out on that.”
Howard said the target remained to have a car on track by mid-year.
“(They are) well advanced with the aerodynamic side of it, currently they are working with our CFD supplier and our aero partner … and they will go through the body design to ensure it meets our aerodynamic window then once that is done they can start developing body panels and those sorts of things,” Howard said.
“They are working through the engine development program, so there is a lot to happen but we are in good shape there.”
CALENDAR AND ASIA PUSH
It is hoped Toyota’s entry to Supercars will further help promote the series internationally, opening the category up more to the Asian market.
Howard said Supercars was open to the prospect of either a stand-alone race in Asia or South East Asia, or featuring on the support card of a Formula 1 race, such as Singapore.
“Having Toyota join your championship drives a lot of interest from a lot of people from a lot of different areas as they are the number one global OEM in sales,” Howard said.
“So to have them come into your championship definitely helps when you are in discussions with all aspects of business, but also internationalising the category so to speak.
“We have always said that we would like to be at Singapore (Grand Prix) and we have had discussions with Singapore. It’s a work in progress.
“We are talking to a number of different opportunities internationally, but it is in the early stages of those.”
Howard said talks on a potential second round in New Zealand, to likely run as a double header alongside Taupo, continued to progress.
The Supercars championship this year increases from 12 to 13 rounds, but Howard felt 14 rounds was a sweet spot for the series.
“(People) want to see more races,” Howard said.
“So I think going to 13 this year is a really good start on that and I would think that a good number for us to sit at is around 14.
“I think 14 provides a really good cadence in the rhythm of the races for us in keeping in market over a period in our season because it runs for so long.”
SERIES REVAMP
Supercars will undergo the biggest format shake-up in its history with a NASCAR-style finals format to debut in 2025 to guarantee the title battle goes down to the wire.
Under the revamp, the series will be divided into three across a sprint season, endurance season and end-of-year finals.
Howard said it was important for Supercars to keep “reinventing itself” to ensure fan interest remained high.
“People want to see more racing, more events, they want the excitement level to be higher, they don’t want to see dead rubbers,” Howard said.
“We have never had a finals series before …. when you look at the AFL, which is the largest sport in this country, they have a grand final and we wanted to have a grand final and we wanted that grand final to be in Adelaide.
“We are going to have four cars going into that with a chance to win. I think the excitement level is going to be up and I think the drivers have to be on it with every race.
“The points system does not reward complacency or averaging. You need to move, you need fast cars and you need to get into those cut-offs.
“I think it will provide that excitement and hopefully a bit of drama along the way because we don’t want to be watching MAFS for drama, we want to see it on our race circuit.
“I hope there is some real niggle in it and we have a good strong championship.”
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