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AAP
AAP
Joanna Guelas

'We ain't done yet': Chevrolet up for Supercars fight

Will Brown's Supercars title defence will mark his Triple Eight team's last season with Chevrolet. (Dave Hunt/AAP PHOTOS)

General Motors is refusing to go gently into the night.

The defection by Supercars powerhouse team Triple Eight to rivals Ford from the 2026 season may have blindsided, but the Chevrolet Camaro manufacturer won't quit in defeat.

Triple Eight's decision to end their 16-year association with GM revealed in the lead-up to the season-opening Sydney 500 on Friday surprised fans and drivers alike.

The move left GM on the search for a homologation team for next season.

Replacing Triple Eight as their testing partners won't be an easy feat, the team having won 12 of the past 17 Supercars teams championships.

Triple Eight star Will Brown will be out to defend his championship title this season to send off his Camaro on a high note, having only driven a General Motors car since his 2018 debut.

He led Triple Eight to a one-two finish in the teams standings last season, with Broc Feeney as runner-up.

Brown
Will Brown will be out to back up a huge 2024 season in his Chevrolet farewell. (HANDOUT/EDGE PHOTOGRAPHICS)

The remaining Chevrolet teams are minnows Brad Jones Racing, Matt Stone Racing, PremiAir Racing, Erebus Motorsport and Team 18.

Out of the five, only Erebus has won a drivers and teams championship.

GM were already pondering the future of the Camaro, after production ceased last year, and a possible extension to 2027 with Supercars.

The introduction of the Toyota Supra in 2026, spearheaded by Walkinshaw Andretti United, only adds to the challenge.

Chevrolet Racing general manager Chris Payne admits Triple Eight's defection has left them as "below-average losers", but he remains bullish about their chances.

"We ain't done yet," Payne said on Thursday.

"These are circumstances that we're not accustomed to.

"We are and collectively with the Chevrolet racing teams, below-average losers.

"The decision by Triple Eight positions us as the underdog in the sport all of a sudden, but we're ready for the fight."

Triple Eight will remain their homologation team in 2025, though Payne said it was "entirely feasible" that a replacement could come earlier than next year.

Payne, however, ruled out potentially poaching a Ford team, with GM also looking to form a stronger alliance with their North American counterparts.

The GT3 Corvette has been tossed up as a possible replacement for the Camaro.

"We very much would like to have the (Corvette) competing here in Australia at a point in time," Payne said.

"That is an ambition of ours, to be racing that car here at some point in time as soon as practical."

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