The 2025 season will mark the last – at least for the foreseeable future – for the series as a two-horse race between General Motors and Ford ahead of Toyota joining the mix in ’26.
Upon announcing its impending arrival, Toyota executive Sean Hanley noted that “tribalism” had previously kept the Japanese brand from entering the sport.
“I have no doubt that tribalism still exists, but there’s now room for a new player, and I think it’s timely,” he declared.
There’s no doubt that Supercars – and the Australian car market as a whole – has changed vastly since Toyota studied a possible entry for its Avalon at the turn of the century.
Local manufacturing is gone. General Motors subsidiary Holden and its Commodore are no more, and the once flying Ford Falcon is long deceased too.
Those brands are still represented via the Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang, but their overall investment in Supercars – and relevance to the Australian market – has diminished.
It’s long been said that fan preferences are shifting towards following drivers and teams, and away from rusted-on manufacturer loyalty.
There’s plenty of anecdotal evidence to back that up too.
Take Brodie Kostecki’s switch from Erebus Motorsport to Dick Johnson Racing and contrast it to Craig Lowndes’ defection from the Holden Racing Team to Ford almost 25 years ago.
In Kostecki’s case, the then reigning champion signing up to cross the floor wasn’t really about Chevrolet or Ford, was it? The brand switch was a footnote in the driver/team story.
Consider also Chaz Mostert, who according to the annual online fan vote conducted by Supercars was the sport’s most popular driver in 2024.
The fact that next season he’ll be driving for his third different marque in eight years doesn’t seem to have hurt his following.
And yet, the subject that continues to light up comments sections online – be it on social media or news websites – remains parity. The most tribal debate of them all.
It’s been the hottest topic of the Gen3 era to date, perhaps both because and despite the fact the cars are identical apart from their engine and bodywork.
Then there’s the fact that a succession of Supercars’ star drivers – including Shane van Gisbergen, Scott McLaughlin, Jamie Whincup and Craig Lowndes – have departed or retired in recent years.
A fresh wave of young drivers has moved in to fill the void. But are the fans adopting the new generation and/or sticking with their team allegiances?
On this week’s Pirtek Poll, we want to know where your Supercars fan loyalty lies. Is it with a driver, a team or a manufacturer? Cast your vote below.
