TGRA GR Cup set for five-round 2026 season as Scholarship Series launches at Winton

Five-round 2026 calendar confirmed

Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia's GR Cup will race across five rounds in 2026, beginning much earlier than in previous seasons. Speedcafe reported that the one-make series will open the year on February 20-22 at Sydney Motorsport Park, running as part of the Sydney 500 undercard, before a near five-month break sees it resume at Reid Park Street Circuit in support of the Townsville 500 on July 10-12. ¹

The same Speedcafe report detailed the remainder of the schedule: the series returns to Queensland Raceway for the Ipswich Super440 on August 21-23, heads to Mount Panorama for the Bathurst 1000 on October 8-11 as the penultimate round, and concludes at Sandown Raceway alongside the Sandown 500 on November 13-15. The calendar announcement was made at the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia GR Cup awards night. ¹

Wickham crowned 2025 champion

The awards night also recognised the 2025 season's standout performers. According to Speedcafe, Oliver Wickham was crowned champion after finishing all but one race inside the top 10, collecting a $50,000 prize for the title. Runner-up Lincoln Taylor received $30,000 and third-placed Jett Murray claimed $15,000. ¹

Toyota Australia chief marketing officer Vin Naidoo congratulated the category's drivers at the event, saying the dedication of the TGRA GR Cup drivers and teams made it a special category in the Australian racing scene, and that he could not wait for the 2026 season, Speedcafe reported. ¹

A range of supplementary awards were also presented: Speedcafe listed Kade Davey as the Kaizen Award winner for continuous improvement across the year, Harry Tomkins as the Publicity Star, Lachlan Evennett for best presented team, and Liam Gerges as the scholarship evaluation winner. ¹

Scholarship Series underway for 2026

Beyond the GR Cup itself, the TGRA Scholarship Series has also kicked off its 2026 campaign. Motorsport Australia's weekend preview for March 14-15 listed TGRA Scholarship Series Round 1 at Winton Raceway on Saturday March 14, run by Toyota Motor Corporation as a circuit event in Victoria. ²

Motorsport Australia noted the launch came in a busy weekend for Australian grassroots motorsport, with a record 27 events across seven states and territories, energised by the record-breaking Australian Grand Prix crowd of close to half a million people earlier in the month. ²

What the calendar changes mean

The 2026 structure marks a shift for the category, with Speedcafe describing the year as starting much earlier and framing the schedule under big calendar changes for the Toyota GR Cup. Squeezing five rounds around marquee Supercars events at Sydney, Townsville, Ipswich, Bathurst and Sandown gives drivers sustained exposure on the sport's biggest weekends, with the Bathurst round falling in October as the penultimate round rather than the finale. ¹

For aspiring young racers, the pathway remains the same as it has been in recent seasons: perform in the Scholarship Series, earn a GR Cup drive, and use the category as a stepping stone. Toyota's own awards-night messaging, as reported by Speedcafe, positioned the TGRA GR Cup as a place where some of the country's most talented young racers further their motorsport careers, a theme reinforced by the $50,000 championship prize for the 2025 winner. ¹