IT'S TOYOTA TIME
The countdown to Toyota's local motorsport revolution has begun.
The official debut of the Supercars racer and a five-month campaign to put the GR Supra "in places you never thought possible" has just been confirmed by Sean Hanley, the vice-president of Toyota Australia.
In an exclusive interview with Race.news, Hanley disclosed that Toyota's first Supercar will break cover in a private media reveal early in the second half of 2025, followed by initial testing and then what he describes as an "unprecedented" activation blitz leading to the 2026 racing debut.
Toyota's carefully orchestrated debut plan centres around a controlled media launch before the car hits the track for its first testing sessions after development work on the first Supercars prototype by Walkinshaw Andretti United.
Hanley’s timeline puts the media reveal in August, with track testing to commence shortly after.
The Toyota boss will have his first proper look at the completed car this week.
"We are going to bring you [the media] in once that car's done, before it goes on test," Hanley said.
“I'm going out there Friday (tomorrow). We're in good shape. We're not without our small gaps, but nothing insurmountable," Hanley revealed, confirming the development program is on track for the aggressive timeline.
Following the initial reveal and testing phase, Toyota plans to unleash what Hanley calls a five-month activation campaign that will fundamentally change how Supercars manufacturers engage with fans.
"After we've done that [the reveal], we will fully activate for the next five months. You'll see us everywhere. You'll see that car in places you never thought was possible," he promised.
The activation strategy will work around contractual restrictions that prevent the car appearing under WAU or Brad Jones Racing branding until 2026, as both teams maintain existing manufacturer relationships through 2025.
"It won't be under Walkinshaw Andretti or BJR. It'll be GR [Gazoo Racing] because of the contractual arrangements those teams still have with their current brands," Hanley explained.
Hanley's confidence stems from Toyota's unique position in Australian commerce, with activation capabilities he claims no other manufacturer can match.
"You'll see that car in places you never thought you'd see a V8 Supercar in your life," he stated, hinting at appearances that extend far beyond traditional motorsport venues.
"And that's the power of Toyota. Only Toyota can do that. No other car brand can do that."
The activation advantage leverages Toyota's existing sports sponsorship portfolio spanning AFL, NRL, and cricket, creating what Hanley describes as "52 weeks of something" that will now include the Supercars presence.
The GR Supra Supercar development, led by homologation team Walkinshaw Andretti United, is progressing on schedule despite the compressed timeline for Toyota's 2026 entry.
"We expect that car to be track testing probably... early in the second half which is next month (August). So we're not too far away," Hanley confirmed.
The controlled-reveal strategy reflects lessons learned from Toyota's previous motorsport considerations, including an aborted Lexus Supercars evaluation that suffered from premature public disclosure.
In discussing Toyota’s Supercar plans, Hanley reitereated that initial secrecy had been key.
"I didn't want to go out to the motorsport fan base, I didn't want to go to Supercars or the media and then have to come back to them in six or eight months time and say, we looked at it, but we can't do it," Hanley explained of the secretive development approach.
"Like we did in Lexus, which I regretted."
Toyota's activation strategy, as outlined by Hanley, will represent a fundamental shift in how manufacturers can leverage their Supercars investment beyond traditional track-focused marketing.
The company's ability to integrate the Supercars program across its broader commercial, cultural and sporting portfolios creates opportunities that established manufacturers Ford and Chevrolet would struggle to replicate. Indeed, it potentially predicates a reassessment of activation strategies across the category.
With six GR Supras confirmed for the 2026 grid across WAU (two cars) and BJR (four cars), Toyota's entry represents the most significant manufacturer addition to Supercars since the category's formation, although there have been lower-key efforts by Nissan and Volvo, as well as privateer Mercedes-AMG effort with Erebus Racing.
The five-month activation timeline positions Toyota to dominate the motorsport conversation through the second half of 2025, building momentum toward what promises to be one of the most anticipated Supercars race debut in recent memory.
Hanley's promise that fans will see the Supra "in places you never thought possible" suggests Toyota is preparing to rewrite the playbook for how manufacturers can extract value from Supercars investment.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is based on exclusive interview access with Toyota Australia vice-president Sean Hanley via TheAutoExec.com.