Toyota believes it is closing in on its second Supercars team despite the complicating factor of the GM homologation team saga. The Japanese carmaker has been working to a clear plan for its entry to Supercars next season which involves there being four new Supras on the grid. Two will come from homologation outfit Walkinshaw Andretti United with a second yet-to-be-appointed team to run the other two. Following the Toyota announcement there was a flurry of interest in the second Toyota ‘slot’ with Team 18 quickly emerging as the favourite to land a Supra deal. That has since been deeply complicated by Triple Eight’s impending defection to Ford, which has given GM the carrot of homologation duties to shop around to its current line-up. That too has seemingly piqued Team 18’s interest with the squad being touted as a frontrunner along with PremiAir Racing. It could be that whichever doesn’t end up as the GM HT will switch to Toyota. Not that Toyota’s marketing boss Sean Hanley, who has driven the Supercars program, is worried about what GM may have to offer its teams. “We can only control what we control,” he told Speedcafe. “We had no knowledge of anything that was happening […]
Haas’ new partnership with Toyota that begins in Austin is a “clear sign” that the American team is “for sale”, says Ralf Schumacher. Haas and Toyota announced on Friday that Toyota Gazoo Racing, the Japanese company’s motorsport competition arm, would become Haas’ official technical partner in a multi-year deal. The deal effectively brings Toyota back to the F1 grid from the next race of 2024, the United States Grand Prix, with Toyota Gazoo president Tomoya Takahashi describing it as “competing” alongside Haas. While the F1 team will benefit from Toyota’s resources in the form of design, technical, and manufacturing services, including using their simulator expertise and wind tunnel, Haas will give Toyota Gazoo access to their F1 team with drivers, engineers and mechanics participating in Haas’ TPC [testing of a previous car] outings. But while the new partnership will have no impact on Haas’ current relationship with Ferrari, who supply the American team with engines and other parts for the car, it is expected to grow in the coming years at Toyota Gazoo personnel will be involved in aerodynamics development. Toyota though, were adamant there’s no background talk about becoming an engine supplier or even running a team, which they […]
Powerhouse brand Toyota Australia has sensationally confirmed the GR Supra will join the Repco Supercars Championship from 2026. In a blockbuster announcement, Toyota will field a minimum of four Gen3 GR Supras in 2026. Two Supras will be run by homologation team partner Walkinshaw Andretti United, driven by Chaz Mostert and Ryan Wood, with a second team to be announced in due course. Toyota has committed to racing in the Supercars Championship for five years, and will become the third brand to race in the Gen3 era alongside Ford and Chevrolet, extending the famous Japanese marque’s commitment to Australian motorsport. Already, Toyota supports its one-make grassroots Toyota GAZOO Racing Australia (TGRA) Scholarship Series and GR Cup, and the TGRA Rally Team alongside Neal Bates Motorsport. Toyota is also a dominant force in international competition, winning championships in the World Endurance Championship, the World Rally Championship and NASCAR. Beyond motorsport, Toyota Australia is also a major partner of the AFL, Australian Olympic and Paralympic teams, Cricket Australia, Country Music Festival, North Queensland Cowboys and Adelaide Crows. Toyota Australia has already begun initial design work on the GR Supra Supercar through its own in-house design team, based at Altona. The design team […]
