Ford has introduced the Ford Mustang Cup will happen as a nationwide collection in Australia throughout six rounds in 2026 – a breeding floor for future expertise – and is in search of expressions of curiosity from would-be rivals.
Utilizing the formidable Ford Mustang Darkish Horse R racing mannequin, a discipline of round 20-25 rivals is anticipated within the first enlargement of the collection past america, the place it kicked off in 2024.
“Mustang holds a particular place within the hearts of Australians, and a devoted one-make collection that includes the Darkish Horse R is a pure and extremely thrilling match for our market,” stated Andrew Birkic, Ford Australia president and CEO, in a press release.
“This new championship gives a transparent pathway for aspiring drivers and provides one other thrilling dimension to the Mustang’s legendary racing heritage down below.”
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The Darkish Horse R takes the Mustang Darkish Horse street automobile a step additional by including 18-inch solid alloy wheels with slick racing tyres, greater Brembo brakes and a bigger exhaust from famend specialist Borla.
There’s no extra energy from the 5.0-litre V8 – making a claimed ‘greater than 500 horsepower (373kW)’ – which is teamed with a Tremec 3160 six-speed guide gearbox and Torsen limited-slip differential.
The Darkish Horse R’s race-readiness is capped off with a Recaro racing seat permitted by the FIA – the governing physique of worldwide motorsport.
Mustang Cup vehicles come to Australia by Miedecke Motorsport, Australian brokers for Multimatic – the corporate behind the Darkish Horse R in addition to a number of Ford Efficiency fashions, together with the 2016 Le Mans-winning Ford GT race and street vehicles.
The price of a Mustang Cup Darkish Horse R is, in keeping with Ford Efficiency, $US159,000 ($242,700).
The lower-spec 2024 Mustang Darkish Horse with a guide gearbox is presently priced at $98,017 earlier than on-road prices, with the automated at $101,917 earlier than on-roads.
The Ford collection is anticipated to value lower than the Porsche Carrera Cup, each a nationwide and international one-make racing collection utilizing the Porsche 911 which is speculated at round $1 million per 12 months to compete in.
Showroom rival Toyota – which is able to compete in opposition to Ford within the Supercars championship with its Supra sports activities automobile from 2026 – additionally runs a nationwide one-make collection in Australia, the Gazoo Racing Cup (GR Cup).
It’s additionally designed to develop younger racing expertise, with present Supercars championship chief, Broc Feeney, one in every of its star graduates, having received his first race within the Toyota collection as a 15-year-old in 2018.
The GR Cup makes use of the much-lauded Toyota GR86 sports activities automobile, with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine, however within the V8 Darkish Horse R the Mustang Cup will provide a extra highly effective, quicker race automobile nearer to ‘increased’ collection such because the Tremendous 2 class, one step down from Supercars.
“The Mustang Darkish Horse R was designed to be a turnkey race automobile to supply an exhilarating, accessible, and aggressive platform for drivers,” stated the worldwide director of Ford Efficiency, Mark Rushbrook, in a press release.
“Seeing it embraced by our workforce in Australia and set to type a brand new nationwide championship is improbable.
Rushbrook pointed to 20-year-old Australian racer, Cameron McLeod, who received two Mustang Darkish Horse R races on the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours earlier this month.
The races had been a part of the US-based 2025 IMSA Ford Mustang Problem.
“The success of Cameron McLeod at Le Mans confirmed the world what gifted younger drivers can do on this automobile and bringing that stage of competitors to Australia is an important addition to the worldwide Mustang racing ecosystem,” he stated.
The Ford Mustang ecosystem is in depth, with the US automobile large providing buyer racing variations of the enduring V8-powered sports activities automobile in a number of classes, together with GT4, GT3 and Supercars racing in Australia.
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