After 15 seasons with Basic Motors operating Holdens and Chevrolets within the Supercars Championship, the championship-winning Crimson Bull Triple Eight Racing has introduced it’s going to defect again to Ford.
Having run Ford Falcons from 2003-2009, the workforce shocked the game by crossing the producer divide to affix Holden for 2010, after which Chevrolet when the Holden model lastly exited the game in 2022.
The workforce will run Ford Mustangs from 2026, and also will take over from Dick Johnson Racing because the homologation workforce that develops new elements for all of the Ford groups.
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In a press release, workforce principal Jamie Whincup mentioned the partnership was a “large strategic dedication.”
Whincup gained the 2008 and 2009 championships and did the Bathurst 1000 three-peat between 2006-2008 for the workforce driving a Falcon.
Broc Feeney leads Triple Eight Race Engineering teammate Will Brown in 2024. The workforce will change to Fords for 2026. Kerry Marshall through Getty Pictures
“Triple Eight’s success is in the beginning right down to our folks and a relentless, shared need to win that has set us up for this partnership,” he mentioned.
“Our return to the Blue Oval is not nearly successful; it is about that feeling of shared function and willpower that is backed up by an thrilling highway automobile portfolio.
“What excites me most about our future collectively is the dedication Ford is demonstrating to our sport, to Triple Eight and to all Supercars followers via this long-term partnership. This can be a large strategic dedication that we’re very proud to share.
“We’re very excited to be part of the Ford Efficiency ecosystem and the potential alternatives this partnership will current.”
With Basic Motors, the workforce gained eight drivers’ and 11 groups’ championships.
Whincup informed Speedcafe’s Full Credit score to the Noise podcast, the defection took place after an opportunity assembly with Ford head honchos eventually yr’s Bathurst 1000.
“In the direction of the center of final yr we have been assessing which producer we must always align with,” he mentioned.
Craig Lowndes and Jamie Whincup gained a their third-straight Bathurst 1000 for Ford in 2008. EDGE Photographics
“We clearly assessed who was accessible. And the additional via the due diligence it went, it grew to become extremely apparent that Ford Efficiency have been undoubtedly going to be one of the best efficiency accomplice for us – not just for subsequent yr, however for a few years to return.
“So it was completely a no brainer. After which after we crossed paths at Bathurst final yr, that is what acquired the dialog going.
“When you get into it, it makes completely a lot sense {that a} partnership is an enormous profit for each events.”
The announcement got here on the identical day Ford introduced it might be returning to top-flight endurance racing by coming into the LMDh class of the World Endurance Championship – which incorporates the Le Mans 24-hour – for 2027.
The workforce’s 2024 champion Will Brown and teammate Broc Feeney are each contracted with the workforce into 2026.
The workforce stays dedicated to operating a Wildcard for the endurance races, though Craig Lowndes’ position as a GM ambassador means his involvement within the mission is underneath a cloud.
The 2025 Supercars season will get underway in Sydney on the weekend of February 21-23.
