Supercars roll into Hedland for one-off community event
Fresh off the track at Perth's Wanneroo Raceway, the Matt Stone Racing team is heading to Darwin for the next Supercars round.
Driver Cameron Hill and the crew will stop in Hedland, giving locals the chance to meet the team and see their Gen3 Camaros up close.
The free event runs from 9am to 11am and is supported by the Town of Port Hedland, MGM Bulk, and Bruce Rock Engineering.
Mayor Peter Carter encouraged the community to come down and take advantage of the rare opportunity.
'Given how remote we are here in the Pilbara, it's not often we get the chance to host an event like this,' Mr Carter said.
'This is your chance to mingle and get photos with the cars, as well as chat to the drivers and team.'
To keep the engines — and energy — running, there'll be free bacon and egg rolls on offer, with coffee available for purchase.
The event promises to be a hit with car lovers and motorsport fans of all ages.
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The Advertiser
27-06-2025
- The Advertiser
2026 Ford Mustang Cup racing series set for Australia
Ford has announced the Ford Mustang Cup will take place as a national series in Australia across six rounds in 2026 – a breeding ground for future talent – and is seeking expressions of interest from would-be competitors. Using the formidable Ford Mustang Dark Horse R racing model, a field of around 20-25 competitors is expected in the first expansion of the series beyond the United States, where it kicked off in 2024. "Mustang holds a special place in the hearts of Australians, and a dedicated one-make series featuring the Dark Horse R is a natural and incredibly exciting fit for our market," said Andrew Birkic, Ford Australia president and CEO, in a statement. "This new championship provides a clear pathway for aspiring drivers and adds another thrilling dimension to the Mustang's legendary racing heritage down under." Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. The Dark Horse R takes the Mustang Dark Horse road car a step further by adding 18-inch forged alloy wheels with slick racing tyres, bigger Brembo brakes and a larger exhaust from renowned specialist Borla. There's no additional power from the 5.0-litre V8 – making a claimed 'more than 500 horsepower (373kW)' – which is teamed with a Tremec 3160 six-speed manual gearbox and Torsen limited-slip differential. The Dark Horse R's race-readiness is capped off with a Recaro racing seat approved by the FIA – the governing body of global motorsport. Mustang Cup cars come to Australia through Miedecke Motorsport, Australian agents for Multimatic – the company behind the Dark Horse R as well as a host of Ford Performance models, including the 2016 Le Mans-winning Ford GT race and road cars. The cost of a Mustang Cup Dark Horse R is, according to Ford Performance, $US159,000 ($242,700). The lower-spec 2024 Mustang Dark Horse with a manual gearbox is currently priced at $98,017 before on-road costs, with the automatic at $101,917 before on-roads. The Ford series is expected to cost less than the Porsche Carrera Cup, both a national and global one-make racing series using the Porsche 911 which is speculated at around $1 million per year to compete in. Showroom rival Toyota – which will compete against Ford in the Supercars championship with its Supra sports car from 2026 – also runs a national one-make series in Australia, the Gazoo Racing Cup (GR Cup). It's also designed to develop young racing talent, with current Supercars championship leader, Broc Feeney, one of its star graduates, having won his first race in the Toyota series as a 15-year-old in 2018. The GR Cup uses the much-lauded Toyota GR86 sports car, with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine, but in the V8 Dark Horse R the Mustang Cup will offer a more powerful, faster race car closer to 'higher' series such as the Super 2 category, one step down from Supercars. "The Mustang Dark Horse R was designed to be a turnkey race car to provide a thrilling, accessible, and competitive platform for drivers," said the global director of Ford Performance, Mark Rushbrook, in a statement. "Seeing it embraced by our team in Australia and set to form a new national championship is fantastic. Rushbrook pointed to 20-year-old Australian racer, Cameron McLeod, who won two Mustang Dark Horse R races at the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours earlier this month. The races were part of the US-based 2025 IMSA Ford Mustang Challenge. "The success of Cameron McLeod at Le Mans showed the world what talented young drivers can do in this car and bringing that level of competition to Australia is a vital addition to the global Mustang racing ecosystem," he said. The Ford Mustang ecosystem is extensive, with the US car giant offering customer racing versions of the iconic V8-powered sports car in multiple categories, including GT4, GT3 and Supercars racing in Australia. MORE: Everything Ford Mustang Content originally sourced from: Ford has announced the Ford Mustang Cup will take place as a national series in Australia across six rounds in 2026 – a breeding ground for future talent – and is seeking expressions of interest from would-be competitors. Using the formidable Ford Mustang Dark Horse R racing model, a field of around 20-25 competitors is expected in the first expansion of the series beyond the United States, where it kicked off in 2024. "Mustang holds a special place in the hearts of Australians, and a dedicated one-make series featuring the Dark Horse R is a natural and incredibly exciting fit for our market," said Andrew Birkic, Ford Australia president and CEO, in a statement. "This new championship provides a clear pathway for aspiring drivers and adds another thrilling dimension to the Mustang's legendary racing heritage down under." Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. The Dark Horse R takes the Mustang Dark Horse road car a step further by adding 18-inch forged alloy wheels with slick racing tyres, bigger Brembo brakes and a larger exhaust from renowned specialist Borla. There's no additional power from the 5.0-litre V8 – making a claimed 'more than 500 horsepower (373kW)' – which is teamed with a Tremec 3160 six-speed manual gearbox and Torsen limited-slip differential. The Dark Horse R's race-readiness is capped off with a Recaro racing seat approved by the FIA – the governing body of global motorsport. Mustang Cup cars come to Australia through Miedecke Motorsport, Australian agents for Multimatic – the company behind the Dark Horse R as well as a host of Ford Performance models, including the 2016 Le Mans-winning Ford GT race and road cars. The cost of a Mustang Cup Dark Horse R is, according to Ford Performance, $US159,000 ($242,700). The lower-spec 2024 Mustang Dark Horse with a manual gearbox is currently priced at $98,017 before on-road costs, with the automatic at $101,917 before on-roads. The Ford series is expected to cost less than the Porsche Carrera Cup, both a national and global one-make racing series using the Porsche 911 which is speculated at around $1 million per year to compete in. Showroom rival Toyota – which will compete against Ford in the Supercars championship with its Supra sports car from 2026 – also runs a national one-make series in Australia, the Gazoo Racing Cup (GR Cup). It's also designed to develop young racing talent, with current Supercars championship leader, Broc Feeney, one of its star graduates, having won his first race in the Toyota series as a 15-year-old in 2018. The GR Cup uses the much-lauded Toyota GR86 sports car, with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine, but in the V8 Dark Horse R the Mustang Cup will offer a more powerful, faster race car closer to 'higher' series such as the Super 2 category, one step down from Supercars. "The Mustang Dark Horse R was designed to be a turnkey race car to provide a thrilling, accessible, and competitive platform for drivers," said the global director of Ford Performance, Mark Rushbrook, in a statement. "Seeing it embraced by our team in Australia and set to form a new national championship is fantastic. Rushbrook pointed to 20-year-old Australian racer, Cameron McLeod, who won two Mustang Dark Horse R races at the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours earlier this month. The races were part of the US-based 2025 IMSA Ford Mustang Challenge. "The success of Cameron McLeod at Le Mans showed the world what talented young drivers can do in this car and bringing that level of competition to Australia is a vital addition to the global Mustang racing ecosystem," he said. The Ford Mustang ecosystem is extensive, with the US car giant offering customer racing versions of the iconic V8-powered sports car in multiple categories, including GT4, GT3 and Supercars racing in Australia. MORE: Everything Ford Mustang Content originally sourced from: Ford has announced the Ford Mustang Cup will take place as a national series in Australia across six rounds in 2026 – a breeding ground for future talent – and is seeking expressions of interest from would-be competitors. Using the formidable Ford Mustang Dark Horse R racing model, a field of around 20-25 competitors is expected in the first expansion of the series beyond the United States, where it kicked off in 2024. "Mustang holds a special place in the hearts of Australians, and a dedicated one-make series featuring the Dark Horse R is a natural and incredibly exciting fit for our market," said Andrew Birkic, Ford Australia president and CEO, in a statement. "This new championship provides a clear pathway for aspiring drivers and adds another thrilling dimension to the Mustang's legendary racing heritage down under." Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. The Dark Horse R takes the Mustang Dark Horse road car a step further by adding 18-inch forged alloy wheels with slick racing tyres, bigger Brembo brakes and a larger exhaust from renowned specialist Borla. There's no additional power from the 5.0-litre V8 – making a claimed 'more than 500 horsepower (373kW)' – which is teamed with a Tremec 3160 six-speed manual gearbox and Torsen limited-slip differential. The Dark Horse R's race-readiness is capped off with a Recaro racing seat approved by the FIA – the governing body of global motorsport. Mustang Cup cars come to Australia through Miedecke Motorsport, Australian agents for Multimatic – the company behind the Dark Horse R as well as a host of Ford Performance models, including the 2016 Le Mans-winning Ford GT race and road cars. The cost of a Mustang Cup Dark Horse R is, according to Ford Performance, $US159,000 ($242,700). The lower-spec 2024 Mustang Dark Horse with a manual gearbox is currently priced at $98,017 before on-road costs, with the automatic at $101,917 before on-roads. The Ford series is expected to cost less than the Porsche Carrera Cup, both a national and global one-make racing series using the Porsche 911 which is speculated at around $1 million per year to compete in. Showroom rival Toyota – which will compete against Ford in the Supercars championship with its Supra sports car from 2026 – also runs a national one-make series in Australia, the Gazoo Racing Cup (GR Cup). It's also designed to develop young racing talent, with current Supercars championship leader, Broc Feeney, one of its star graduates, having won his first race in the Toyota series as a 15-year-old in 2018. The GR Cup uses the much-lauded Toyota GR86 sports car, with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine, but in the V8 Dark Horse R the Mustang Cup will offer a more powerful, faster race car closer to 'higher' series such as the Super 2 category, one step down from Supercars. "The Mustang Dark Horse R was designed to be a turnkey race car to provide a thrilling, accessible, and competitive platform for drivers," said the global director of Ford Performance, Mark Rushbrook, in a statement. "Seeing it embraced by our team in Australia and set to form a new national championship is fantastic. Rushbrook pointed to 20-year-old Australian racer, Cameron McLeod, who won two Mustang Dark Horse R races at the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours earlier this month. The races were part of the US-based 2025 IMSA Ford Mustang Challenge. "The success of Cameron McLeod at Le Mans showed the world what talented young drivers can do in this car and bringing that level of competition to Australia is a vital addition to the global Mustang racing ecosystem," he said. The Ford Mustang ecosystem is extensive, with the US car giant offering customer racing versions of the iconic V8-powered sports car in multiple categories, including GT4, GT3 and Supercars racing in Australia. MORE: Everything Ford Mustang Content originally sourced from: Ford has announced the Ford Mustang Cup will take place as a national series in Australia across six rounds in 2026 – a breeding ground for future talent – and is seeking expressions of interest from would-be competitors. Using the formidable Ford Mustang Dark Horse R racing model, a field of around 20-25 competitors is expected in the first expansion of the series beyond the United States, where it kicked off in 2024. "Mustang holds a special place in the hearts of Australians, and a dedicated one-make series featuring the Dark Horse R is a natural and incredibly exciting fit for our market," said Andrew Birkic, Ford Australia president and CEO, in a statement. "This new championship provides a clear pathway for aspiring drivers and adds another thrilling dimension to the Mustang's legendary racing heritage down under." Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. The Dark Horse R takes the Mustang Dark Horse road car a step further by adding 18-inch forged alloy wheels with slick racing tyres, bigger Brembo brakes and a larger exhaust from renowned specialist Borla. There's no additional power from the 5.0-litre V8 – making a claimed 'more than 500 horsepower (373kW)' – which is teamed with a Tremec 3160 six-speed manual gearbox and Torsen limited-slip differential. The Dark Horse R's race-readiness is capped off with a Recaro racing seat approved by the FIA – the governing body of global motorsport. Mustang Cup cars come to Australia through Miedecke Motorsport, Australian agents for Multimatic – the company behind the Dark Horse R as well as a host of Ford Performance models, including the 2016 Le Mans-winning Ford GT race and road cars. The cost of a Mustang Cup Dark Horse R is, according to Ford Performance, $US159,000 ($242,700). The lower-spec 2024 Mustang Dark Horse with a manual gearbox is currently priced at $98,017 before on-road costs, with the automatic at $101,917 before on-roads. The Ford series is expected to cost less than the Porsche Carrera Cup, both a national and global one-make racing series using the Porsche 911 which is speculated at around $1 million per year to compete in. Showroom rival Toyota – which will compete against Ford in the Supercars championship with its Supra sports car from 2026 – also runs a national one-make series in Australia, the Gazoo Racing Cup (GR Cup). It's also designed to develop young racing talent, with current Supercars championship leader, Broc Feeney, one of its star graduates, having won his first race in the Toyota series as a 15-year-old in 2018. The GR Cup uses the much-lauded Toyota GR86 sports car, with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine, but in the V8 Dark Horse R the Mustang Cup will offer a more powerful, faster race car closer to 'higher' series such as the Super 2 category, one step down from Supercars. "The Mustang Dark Horse R was designed to be a turnkey race car to provide a thrilling, accessible, and competitive platform for drivers," said the global director of Ford Performance, Mark Rushbrook, in a statement. "Seeing it embraced by our team in Australia and set to form a new national championship is fantastic. Rushbrook pointed to 20-year-old Australian racer, Cameron McLeod, who won two Mustang Dark Horse R races at the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours earlier this month. The races were part of the US-based 2025 IMSA Ford Mustang Challenge. "The success of Cameron McLeod at Le Mans showed the world what talented young drivers can do in this car and bringing that level of competition to Australia is a vital addition to the global Mustang racing ecosystem," he said. The Ford Mustang ecosystem is extensive, with the US car giant offering customer racing versions of the iconic V8-powered sports car in multiple categories, including GT4, GT3 and Supercars racing in Australia. MORE: Everything Ford Mustang Content originally sourced from:
Perth Now
27-06-2025
- Perth Now
2026 Ford Mustang Cup racing series set for Australia
Ford has announced the Ford Mustang Cup will take place as a national series in Australia across six rounds in 2026 – a breeding ground for future talent – and is seeking expressions of interest from would-be competitors. Using the formidable Ford Mustang Dark Horse R racing model, a field of around 20-25 competitors is expected in the first expansion of the series beyond the United States, where it kicked off in 2024. 'Mustang holds a special place in the hearts of Australians, and a dedicated one-make series featuring the Dark Horse R is a natural and incredibly exciting fit for our market,' said Andrew Birkic, Ford Australia president and CEO, in a statement. 'This new championship provides a clear pathway for aspiring drivers and adds another thrilling dimension to the Mustang's legendary racing heritage down under.' Hundreds of new car deals are available through CarExpert right now. Get the experts on your side and score a great deal. Browse now. Supplied Credit: CarExpert The Dark Horse R takes the Mustang Dark Horse road car a step further by adding 18-inch forged alloy wheels with slick racing tyres, bigger Brembo brakes and a larger exhaust from renowned specialist Borla. There's no additional power from the 5.0-litre V8 – making a claimed 'more than 500 horsepower (373kW)' – which is teamed with a Tremec 3160 six-speed manual gearbox and Torsen limited-slip differential. The Dark Horse R's race-readiness is capped off with a Recaro racing seat approved by the FIA – the governing body of global motorsport. Mustang Cup cars come to Australia through Miedecke Motorsport, Australian agents for Multimatic – the company behind the Dark Horse R as well as a host of Ford Performance models, including the 2016 Le Mans-winning Ford GT race and road cars. Supplied Credit: CarExpert The cost of a Mustang Cup Dark Horse R is, according to Ford Performance, $US159,000 ($242,700). The lower-spec 2024 Mustang Dark Horse with a manual gearbox is currently priced at $98,017 before on-road costs, with the automatic at $101,917 before on-roads. The Ford series is expected to cost less than the Porsche Carrera Cup, both a national and global one-make racing series using the Porsche 911 which is speculated at around $1 million per year to compete in. Showroom rival Toyota – which will compete against Ford in the Supercars championship with its Supra sports car from 2026 – also runs a national one-make series in Australia, the Gazoo Racing Cup (GR Cup). Supplied Credit: CarExpert It's also designed to develop young racing talent, with current Supercars championship leader, Broc Feeney, one of its star graduates, having won his first race in the Toyota series as a 15-year-old in 2018. The GR Cup uses the much-lauded Toyota GR86 sports car, with a 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine, but in the V8 Dark Horse R the Mustang Cup will offer a more powerful, faster race car closer to 'higher' series such as the Super 2 category, one step down from Supercars. 'The Mustang Dark Horse R was designed to be a turnkey race car to provide a thrilling, accessible, and competitive platform for drivers,' said the global director of Ford Performance, Mark Rushbrook, in a statement. 'Seeing it embraced by our team in Australia and set to form a new national championship is fantastic. Supplied Credit: CarExpert Rushbrook pointed to 20-year-old Australian racer, Cameron McLeod, who won two Mustang Dark Horse R races at the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours earlier this month. The races were part of the US-based 2025 IMSA Ford Mustang Challenge. 'The success of Cameron McLeod at Le Mans showed the world what talented young drivers can do in this car and bringing that level of competition to Australia is a vital addition to the global Mustang racing ecosystem,' he said. The Ford Mustang ecosystem is extensive, with the US car giant offering customer racing versions of the iconic V8-powered sports car in multiple categories, including GT4, GT3 and Supercars racing in Australia. MORE: Everything Ford Mustang
News.com.au
27-06-2025
- News.com.au
New series to revive Aussie racing's golden age
The golden age of Australian motorsport will return in 2026 as Ford turns back the clock to the kind of racing that made Peter Brock and Allan Moffat superstars. Back then, racing heroes would take a car from the showroom, make a few minor modifications and hit the track. These days, modern Supercars racing sees multimillion-dollar, purpose-built racing machines fretted over by teams of mechanics and engineers. But a new series from Ford will turn back the clock and make racing a V8-powered Mustang cheaper and easier than before. The Mustang Challenge is a new series in the US that will reach Australia next year.. Andrew, Birkic, President and chief executive of Ford Australia, says the Mustang 'holds a special place in the hearts of Australians, and a dedicated one-make series featuring the Dark Horse R is a natural and incredibly exciting fit for our market'. 'This new championship provides a clear pathway for aspiring drivers and adds another thrilling dimension to the Mustang's legendary racing heritage down under,' he said. 'We can't wait for 2026 to see these incredible cars battling it out on tracks all over Australia.' The series will be run by Driving Solutions, a firm with decades of experience in motorsport and automotive events. We are incredibly proud and excited to partner with Ford Performance to bring Mustang Cup Australia to life,' Driving Solutions director James Stewart said. 'The Mustang Dark Horse R is a spectacular race car, and we believe a one-make series featuring this machine will be a huge drawcard for Australian drivers and fans. 'Our aim is to build a professional, competitive, and accessible series that provides a fantastic opportunity for young drivers to hone their skills, and for experience drivers to enjoy racing a high-performance and market-relevant race car. 'We look forward to working hard to make this series a roaring success.' The series puts drivers in identical Mustang Dark Horse R racing cars, which are purpose-built by Ford Performance in the US but are nearly-identical to the road-legal Mustang except for the added safety features - just like what Brock, Moffat and co. raced in the 1970s. One example of the Mustang Dark Horse R is already in the country to help drum up interest for the category, and six Australian drivers have signed up for June's special race at Le Mans, France. Chris Ward, Ford's global one-make category manager, is overseeing Mustang Challenge and is confident that the series will hit Aussie tracks next year. While there are still a few fine details to get resolved, Ward is confidently planning for an Australian series and said he would be 'thrilled' with a 20 car grid for the first season. Australia already has plenty of racing categories, including the Porsche Carrera Cup and Toyota GR 86 Series, but Ward believes the unique appeal of the Mustang will make it a worthy addition to the local racing scene. 'We are not coming to the market to disrupt what's already there,' he said. 'We want to supplement that, if that's the right word. We want to be supportive. We readily realise that there's a finite number of people in the Australian market that have the wherewithal to go sports car racing. So we're not looking to disrupt that.' Ford's goal, Ward explained, is to help introduce both young and older amateur drivers into the world of racing and hopefully have them progress up through its established pathway of other track-ready Mustangs that includes the GT4 and GT3 class cars. 'We're looking to further the sports car market in Australia where people that are track day enthusiasts, not have such a giant leap to go from the track day warrior, let's call them, to let's say GT4 racing or GT3 racing. We want to fill that little niche in between people that have taken their street cars onto the racetrack to go GT4 racing,' he said. One example of this is reigning Mustang Challenge champion Robert Noaker. The 21-year-old is a throwback to the likes of a young Peter Brock, racing for his own family-run team with only his dad and a few friends to help work on his car. His success in the inaugural season has seen him signed up to be part of Ford's 'junior team' of young drivers that it will groom for future sports car drives across its various activities. This allows him to dream of becoming a professional racing driver, something that was otherwise out of reach for him before Mustang Challenge. 'I'm still keeping the mindset of 'it's not going to happen', so I'm gonna just keep focusing on the business side, with the team. But I'm still doing whatever I can to try to make something out of the program and to try to step up the ladder [into GT4 or GT3].' Not surprisingly, like any racing driver, he has dreams of racing at Australia's greatest track - Mt Panorama, Bathurst - having previously run a race there in a different category. 'Personally, my favourite track is Bathurst. After I ran it, my first lap I'm like 'this has ruined everything else'. So I'd love to do the 12 hour or the 1000. And you know, being Ford is involved in the cars that race in that, I have the experience at the track already and maybe something could happen at some point. And that's the beauty of the program. You know, if you're the right fit for something, you're already in the program and you're able to go up their ladder.'
