Supercars’ engine supply tug-of-war is at an end with KRE Race Engines signing an exclusive agreement with General Motors.
The Ken McNamara-run KRE is the single engine supplier to Camaro teams. Motorsport Powertrains — which is owned and run by Dick Johnson Racing — supplies engines to Ford teams.
Questions over KRE’s engine supply future were raised after current General Motors homologation squad Triple Eight Race Engineering announced its move to Ford from 2026.
Triple Eight had declared KRE would take on the Ford engine supply from 2026 when it announced its own switch to the Blue Oval back in January.
That was met with heavy resistance from GM, Supercars and various teams in the paddock.
McNamara has now shut down the saga by signing an exclusive GM contract, which covers the 2025 and ’26 seasons.
The news has been trumpeted by GM in a brief statement from local Chevrolet Racing boss Chris Payne.
“We believe that the powertrain is a critical part of the DNA in the sport of Supercars, and that the fans want to see that aspect of the competition continue with strong brand differentiation,” said Payne.
“We look forward to working with and extending our relationship with KRE in Supercars.”
McNamara’s loyalty to GM amid Triple Eight’s Ford defection will spell the end of his lengthy relationship with the team.
He was part of the Briggs Motorsport outfit when the Roland Dane-led Triple Eight group bought the squad in 2003.
McNamara has been supplying the team’s engines through his own KRE business since 2009..
KRE became the sole GM engine supplier when the Gen3 rules were introduced in 2023.
It’s unclear whether Triple Eight will now look to take over Motorsport Powertrains or establish its own Ford engine shop.