Toyota lands second Supercars team for 2026 season
Brad Jones Racing joins Toyota's testing team Walkinshaw Andretti United in making the jump to the GR Supra.
The outfit currently fields four Chevrolet Camaros, driven by Andre Heimgartner, Jaxon Evans, Bryce Fullwood and Macauley Jones.
The Supra model has been redesigned in-house to feature a five-litre V8 engine.
"I'm a creature of habit, and so change is not always easy," Brad Jones told Fox Sports.
"But once I met with the guys and could spend some time understanding them and they took me through their vision, it seemed very clear that this was a great opportunity I couldn't miss.
"I think Toyota will be up there or thereabouts. We need to earn our stripes and there'll be a lot of work, but it's a very exciting time for the group."
Brad Jones Racing's defection to Toyota comes amid a General Motors rebuild following competition heavyweight Triple Eight's shock move to rival Ford.
The remaining Chevrolet teams are Matt Stone Racing, PremiAir Racing, Erebus Motorsport and new homologation team Team 18.
Out of the four, only Erebus has won a drivers' and teams' championship.
General Motors are also pondering the future of the Camaro, after production ceased last year, and a possible extension to 2027 with Supercars.
Toyota will be the first manufacturer other than Ford and General Motors to race in the competition since 2019, when Nissan pulled out of the category.
The automotive giant is no stranger to Australia's touring cars circuit, with the GR Cup, featuring Toyota 86 coupes, a longtime support category on the Supercars track.
The brand also competes in many motorsport events around the world, including NASCAR and Formula Drift in the United States, Super GT and Super Formula in Japan and Formula Three in Europe.
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News.com.au
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