Swindon Powertrain has been appointed official engine partner to Walkinshaw TWG Racing, the homologation team for Toyota’s entry into the 2026 Repco Supercars Championship, signifying the next step in the partnership. The company is developing and supplying key components for the GEN3 Toyota GR Supra, with final assembly and servicing carried out by Walkinshaw TWG Racing. The five-year program, first announced a year ago, is expected to place at least five Toyota-powered cars on the grid in 2026.
Close collaboration
Swindon Powertrain has been working in close collaboration with homologation partner Walkinshaw TWG Racing to lead the development, simulation and production of development engines and key parts such as the crank train. Final assembly and ongoing servicing of the race engines will be undertaken by Walkinshaw TWG Racing at its facility in Clayton, Victoria.
Toyota’s all-aluminium, quad-cam 2UR-GSE V8, known for smooth performance in vehicles like the Lexus LC500, has been adapted to a 5.2L version for the Supercars series, which requires engines between 5.0–5.7L. “The engine’s architecture, such as its square 94×94 (bore and stroke), offers a great base for a competitive and durable power unit to achieve 600bhp,” said Swindon Powertrain’s managing director, Raphaël Caillé.
Balancing durability, cost and performance
Key to the project is balancing durability, performance and cost attributes. “The Supercars calendar, including supporting the Australian F1 Grand Prix in Melbourne, sees over 12,000km of track running – that’s around five times the mileage of the 30-round British Touring Car Championship and harsher when you consider events such as the Bathurst 1000 with its 1.19-mile straight,” added Caillé.
To balance durability and strict cost targets, Swindon Powertrain focused on evolving the cranktrain, valvetrain and combustion systems. The strength of Toyota’s production engines allowed cost-effective original equipment (OE) parts—such as the cylinder head, block, main caps, timing chain and followers—to be retained. The 2026 unit also features hydraulic variable valve timing (VVT) and a 3D-printed inlet tract, a technology previously used on Swindon Powertrain’s BTCC-winning engines.
The challenge
With Swindon Powertrain’s ISO 9001-certified facilities located in the UK and France, its engineering team – headed by technical director Sylvain Rubio– worked closely with the project partners. “It’s been a fantastic collaboration: the time zone difference enabled us to work around the clock, in effect,” added Caillé. “However, we don’t underestimate the challenge. Supercars is a competitive championship with established engine producers with experience of the GEN3 regulations. We respect the job they are doing and now it’s up to us to learn, develop and bring our best efforts to the track. We won’t be satisfied until we start winning!”
“It’s fantastic to be partnering with Swindon Powertrain as we bring the Toyota Australia Supercars project to life,” added Carl Faux, Walkinshaw TWG Racing team principal.
Faux continued, “There’s been a mountain of work and development undertaken to ensure the 2UR-GSE is Supercars ready, and importantly, meets all the regulations of the category that are so strictly enforced. To be able to have the Swindon Powertrain expertise and production capabilities has been great.”
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