Mustang Cup expands to Australia

Ford's single-make racing platform with the Dark Horse R is set to expand overseas in 2026 with the debut of Mustang Cup Australia.

News of the launch of Ford's new series comes in the wake of a hugely successful international debut for the Dark Horse R in the Le Mans Invitational event at the Circuit de la Sarthe earlier this month, which produced two exciting races with a 39-car grid in support of the Le Mans 24 Hours. (Click on the links below to watch the livestream replays.)

• Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational Race 1 livestream
• Mustang Challenge Le Mans Invitational Race 2 livestream

Mustang Cup Australia is the second of Ford's entry-level series added to its racing ladder. It will sit alongside the USAC-operated Mustang Cup in the USA for aspiring racers, and underneath the flagship Mustang Challenge series that IMSA sanctions.

The new Australian series will be organized via a partnership with Driving Solutions, sanctioned by Motorsport Australia (MSA) and race on the Shannons SpeedSeries weekends.

"Driving Solutions and its director, James Stewart, bring more than 20 years of motorsport and automotive industry experience on the continent to our endeavor," says Chris Ward, Ford's global one-make series manager. "Driving Solutions has a long-standing relationship with Ford Australia, having worked with them since 2005."

Each weekend will feature up to three 30-minute practice sessions, separate 15-minute qualifying sessions and a pair of 40-minute sprint races.

Unique to the Mustang Cup Australia will be the ability to host different drivers in a single vehicle during the weekend. This will allow sessions to be split between two drivers in the same Mustang Dark Horse R and ultimately give each driver an opportunity to strive for their own championship. This was trialed during the Le Mans Invitational, when Chris Harris and Sir Chris Hoy shared the wheel of an Academy Motorsport-run Dark Horse R during the event.

"The Mustang Cup will fill an important role in Australian motorsport, closing the gap between entry-level cars and professional series such as Supercars or GT3 competition," Ward said. "It is thrilling for us as Ford Performance to bring the series Down Under. Dating back to the Australian Touring Car Championship, Ford vehicles have been found on racing circuits around Australia, since the early 1960s. Today, the Mustang competes in various series across the continent and is a growing part of the racing culture.

"These include the Mustang GT4 in Monochrome GT4 Australia and the Mustang Supercar in the Repco Supercars Championship. Adding the Mustang Cup Australia will give a feeder system not only to us at Ford but also throughout most of the continent’s motorsport landscape. We look forward to sharing more details in the coming months."