It was a gray Sunday 32 years in the past when Mark Skaife and Jim Richards stood on the highest step of the rostrum. It was an emotional second; not solely had the Bathurst 1000 been reduce quick by a torrential storm, the drivers had realized solely hours earlier that Denny Hulme, who was racing a BMW within the occasion, had died of a coronary heart assault whereas on the wheel.
Richards and Skaife had piloted Nissan’s Skyline GT-R to victory however that didn’t sit nicely with lots of the followers under, having been led to imagine – wrongly – that some other automotive within the race stood an opportunity of beating ‘Godzilla’. As they booed, Richard retorted; “You are a pack of arseholes!”
That second stayed with many for a very long time. Actually, it stayed with Sean Hanley, now Toyota Australia’s Vice President Gross sales, Advertising and Franchise Operations. Final week he said: “We regularly puzzled if we went out and received this race, what would actually occur. It was in all probability extra dangerous to win it than to not play in any respect, again within the tribal days.”
That 1992 race was the beginning of what grew to become the V8 Supercars period. The Australian V8-powered Holden Commodores and Ford Falcons have been the centrepiece of what had been touring automotive racing and, when it was professionally commercialised in 1997, grew and continued to develop.
Its most popular backstory was a well-known one; Australian households grew up with both a Holden or a Ford within the driveway and, on the odd probability that they did not, nonetheless adopted one model or the opposite. It was Purple versus Blue, tribal rivalry.
Besides… principally, it actually wasn’t like that. Whereas the idea performed nicely for just a few followers who accepted it, that rivalry was opposite to considered one of Supercars’ different ambitions – to entice different producers into the class. That labored for some time, with Volvo in for 3 years, Nissan for 5 and Mercedes-Benz coming in, on a purely buyer foundation, servicing the Erebus Motorsport crew, for 3.
Volvo, Nissan and Mercedes arrived a decade in the past to disrupt the Holden versus Ford combat, however none lasted the course
Picture by: Daniel Kalisz / Motorsport Photos
What we all know now could be that whereas Toyota was sitting on the sidelines, trying onerous at getting into the fray twice (in 1999 and once more in 2010), the Purple vs Blue backstory was one of many causes it stayed away – till the new-for-2023 Gen3 period.
“I’ve little question that that tribalism nonetheless exists,” says Hanley, “however there’s now room for a brand new participant, and I believe it’s well timed.”
So it’s that Toyota will enter Supercars in 2026, with the Walkinshaw Andretti United squad as its homologation crew and chief, and one other but to be nominated squad every operating two GR Supras.
For now, this information underlines that the outdated Supercars – Commodore and Falcon four-door sedans – is useless
That is large and game-changing information for Supercars. For all of the rhetoric surrounding the Holden-Ford rivalry, the reality is that the Supercars period has seen these manufacturers’ market shares diminish – and the Holden model vanish fully.
Toyota topped the Australian automotive marketplace for 21 straight years, as households migrated from household sedans, which have been manufactured regionally, to high-riding SUVs and ‘utes’, which weren’t. Toyota dominated with none seen need to come back and play Supercars racing, preferring extra low-profile programmes within the Australian Rally Championship and the one-make Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Sequence.
Credit score the place credit score is due. If the brand new Gen3 platform is performing in some methods under expectations – parity and price to call two still-problematic areas – Supercars deserves credit score for making a framework that lastly hooked Toyota.
The timing couldn’t be higher. Not solely is the class’s present broadcast deal up for renewal on the finish of subsequent 12 months, host cable and streaming service broadcaster Foxtel itself is believed to be available on the market. The arrival of Toyota, Australia’s greatest automotive advertiser by far, ought to make the class a extra worthwhile asset – an essential issue when the Gen3 automobiles are stated to be costing as a lot as A$800,000 (£410,000), far past what was initially deliberate.
Because the mud settles on Toyota’s arrival, Ford will probably be eager to certain up its groups and make sure the second Toyota squad comes from GM’s secure
Picture by: Edge Photographics
Toyota already has a big footprint throughout Australian sport, because the naming rights sponsor of the largest soccer code (the AFL), in Rugby League, Cricket Australia and the nationwide Olympic and Winter Olympic groups. Its 86 Sequence is already supported by a stable TV promoting spend; whichever broadcaster lands the post-2025 Supercars broadcast deal can have cause to be optimistic that dedication would develop.
There will probably be loads to play out earlier than the opening race of 2026. Ford will probably be shedding considered one of its 5 two-car groups and will probably be eager to make sure that whichever crew runs the second pair of Supras, it is going to be a defector from GM’s ranks, not considered one of its personal. Actually, Ford could go looking for a brand new partnership itself to take care of its 10-Supercar fleet. Doubtlessly, two Chevrolet groups might be altering manufacturers for 2026.
WAU might want to run parallel programmes for a bit over a 12 months, one to race its Fords in 2025 and one to develop the brand new Toyotas. Supercars should work the Supra into its technical framework, to ensure that the difficulties which have hindered the event and technical parity of the Mustangs and Camaros don’t lengthen to a 3rd mannequin.
All that lies sooner or later. For now, this information underlines that the outdated Supercars – Commodore and Falcon four-door sedans – is useless.
The brand new Supercars are sporty two-door Camaros, Mustangs and, quickly, Supras; a type of Down Beneath model of GT3. ‘Win on Sunday’ continues to be a legitimate mantra however the automobiles the manufacturers will probably be making an attempt to Promote on Monday now bear no resemblance to these on the observe. Occasions change, and Supercars has completed simply that – hopefully for the higher.
Toyota’s new GR Supra Supercar will debut in 2026
Picture by: Toyota Australia
