2026 AUST CAR WARS THE EMPIRE AND THE REBEL ALLIANCE

The competition between Motorsport Australia and the AASA in 2026 has never been as intense.

 

Motorsport Australia (MA) has long reigned over our motorsport landscape. In doing so it has grown an empire which has reached far beyond our shores. It has catapulted Australian drivers towards the world stage, developed the standards of governance and logistical support across the globe.

MA’s DNA is enshrined in the history and continues those traditions of its forefather CAMS.

 

That ascendency hit a speed hump towards the end of 2024 with the shifting of the Shannons Speed Series from MA to SRO.

 

The limited slots available in a series realigned to a GT – sports car emphasis and a reticence from some national categories to look to state based series as an alternative caused no end of headaches.

 

A handful of circuits pooled together to generate interest in self promoted events under the new Motorsport Australia Trophy Series moniker in a less frills, cost effective option.

 

The National Sports Sedan Series ran under all three guises in 2025. Starting with the Trophy Series opener at Sydney Motorsport Park, they aligned with the SRO Shannons series for the second, then headed to Sandown for a state racing event. Their season finished withThe Bend Classic and Island Magic.

 

It also provided an opportunity for the Australian Auto Sport Alliance (AASA) to gather more momentum through their flagship Hi-Tec Oils Super Series.

 

The two sanctioning bodies have been somewhat at loggerheads with each other since the establishment of the ‘rebel’ group in 2003.

Whilst AASA had been seen as more of an inconvenience than a serious rival, the 2023 alignment of George Gambino and the Hi-Tec Oils corporation in 2023 with the Stephen Whyte led AASA has thrust the series into the limelight.

 

Through Gambino’s financial support, business acumen and media links, the Hi-Tec Oils Super Series has expanded from a handful of modestly fielded categories to more than a dozen with double digit grids hovering around or above the magical twenty.

 

The no-frills budget racing concept, which was a key to AASA’s early days now includes a dedicated telecast team, live streaming via the internet and service provider Kayo. Free-to-air broadcasting adds the jewel in the crown.

 

And that has truly raised both eyebrows and interest.

 

Such coverage had only been privy to the highest echelons of Australian domestic and international motorsport. The prospect of the modest and backyard racer getting airtime on a national broadcaster was a dream come true; a Warhol inspired “Ten seconds of fame”.

 

Replica Tourers and the Queensland Touring Car Championship were amongst those to either shift or split allegiances with the AASA as did the APC Enduro Championship.

 

A new AASA Formula Ford series, named Stars and Renegades, for both Duratec and Kent engined machinery made its debut on the 2025 Hi-Tec Oils Super Series program. That provided the predominately teenage driver roster with a level of television and social media coverage unparalleled since the category’s heyday across the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

 

They supported the TFH TA2 Muscle Car Series – presented by Maritimo Luxury Yachts, the headline act on the bill. Aussie Tin Tops, Innovation Race Cars, Legend Cars Australia, the Australian Driver’s Championship, Formula Vee and Super Trucks added to a packed racing program at various stages of the season.

 

Motorsport Australia underwent a series of changes during the latter stages of 2025. Sunil Vohra, who had been the CEO since 2023 and oversaw the commercial restructure of the empire, departed suddenly in August 2025. Nicky Lennon was installed as interim CEO. Whilst Vohra was a money man, Lennon’s background lay in Human Resource Management and soon showed in a number of more people-focused decisions.

 

We’ve noticed that some 2026 Motorsport Australia fees have fallen in 2026 and a number of strategic personnel have been positioned in what may be a D-Day operation to reassert their position.

 

Liam Curkpatick joined Motorsport Events Manager David Mori to revamp the Trophy series concept into a more desirable option.

 

They have added the Motorsport Australia Nationals series as a home for national competitions, with the Trophy series aligned towards single state based racing.

 

This revised name echoes of nostalgia, as it was Rob Curkpatrick who partnered with CAMS to introduce the CAMS National Racing Championship twenty years before.

 

We understand the team have scoured far and wide signing categories and circuits to a viable calendar. It was also reported that the Nationals would run with a similar free-to-air and streaming coverage to that of its AASA rival.

 

Perhaps rather confusingly, the AASA has also announced their own ‘National Series’. Unlike the MA version, this serves as the second tier, offering more affordable racing for categories that had run part schedules with the Hi-Tec Oils series and the Victorian or Queensland Motor Racing Championships (VMRC, QRDC) in 2025.

 

This escalation in opportunity has pre-empted a series of discreet enquiries, acquisitions and counter offers as both Motorsport Australia and AASA look to re-affirm their positions in the business of racing.

 

Whilst rumoured attempts to lure the TFH TA2 Muscle Car Series – presented by Maritimo Luxury Yachts and Hi-Tec Oils from the AASA were effectively countered, there has been some success.

 

The Terry Denovan led Motor Racing Australia, a NSW based series, shifted allegiance from AASA to Motor Australia governance for the 2026 season.

 

Denovan announced; “It’s been a long-time dream of mine to take Super TT to Bathurst, and in 2026 that dream will be realised”. (Motorsport Australia News 18 November 2025) “Twelve months from now, we want people to say the racing felt seamless and the customer service stepped up again.”

 

The move towards MA represents something of a homecoming as MRA’s origins date back to the initial AMRS concept from 2005. MRA commenced four years later and had run exclusively under AASA sanctioning.

 

As rumours of a ‘shutters down’ for TCR in Australia began to circulate in late 2025, the AASA sanctioned Australian Production Car Enduro Championship was quick to respond.

 

A TCR class as well as one for GT4 machinery was added to their ranks for the 2026 season.

 

That was soon countered by Motorsport Australia with the announcement of a 2026 TCR Australia Series at the Bend and Mallala Motorsport Park under a new partnership between The Bend itself and WSC.

 

TCR join Tin Tops and Formula Vee amongst the list of categories that can now choose to race exclusively with Motorsport Australia, AASA or a mixture of both. There are some potential issues in doing so, most notably with TCR cars.

 

WSC imposes strict conditions on TCR racing across the globe, sanctioning events only via the licensed stakeholder.

In Australia it is Motorsport Australia that control these rights.

 

Competitors racing at non-sanctioned events risk having their car’s technical passport for homologation withdrawn, effectively blacklisting the car from any official TCR event.

 

This is more common in racing that promotes a class for ‘TCR’, as that is a trademark owned by WSC.

 

Whilst it might appear to draw the line clearly in favour of the Motorsport Australia series, these circumstances may actually create two viable alternatives.

 

A more recent TCR car would more likely appear at the MA events, thus maintaining its WSC homologation status, technical passport and potential resale value. It may be somewhat different for the earlier series cars.

 

We understand a potential ‘Catch 22’ has arisen for some TCR owners, especially those with series 1 machinery. The requirement to fit only vehicle homologated components has become more problematic as the supply dwindles. Limited supply has lead to further expenses in maintaining a TCR passport for a vehicle.

 

This is where the AASA supported Australian Production Car Enduro Championship may provide an answer. While officially homologated parts might be sparse, other similar OEM products are readily available often at a fraction of the cost.

 

New Zealand TCR cars run under the New Zealand North and South Island 1 hour championships alongside GT4 machinery in Class 4 with similar amendments to the technical rules.

 

Should the Australian Autosport Alliance (AASA) regulations permit the use of OEM equivalent parts and other potential freedoms, that may well see the covers lifted on some of the older Audi RS 3 LMS TCRs, Alfa Romeo Giulietta and Veloce TCRs as well as the Cupra Leon TCR, Honda Civic Type R TCR and Hyundai i30 N TCR.

 

This TCR divergence highlights the strengths of both Motorsport Australia and the AASA.

 

Motorsport Australia has a distinct advantage in its history and relationship with the FIA, Whilst MA headquarters is no Buckingham Palace, they currently hold exclusive racing rights to Mount Panorama, the cathedral of Australian motor racing.

 

AASA is more Rocky Balboa to MA’s Apollo Creed, or Robin Hood – the no frills tyro, providing opportunities for the working class racer.

While working class by nature the AASA now have their own Motorsport royalty in their corner.

 

Marcos Ambrose, having run cars in Excel racing, Stars and Renegades and TA2, has taken on the role of National Competition and Commercial Director for AASA.

 

The 1999 European Formula Ford champion, dual V8 Supercars champion and two-times NASCAR race winner brings a wealth of motorsport knowledge to the AASA and plans to further increase the appeal and significance of ASSA sanctioned events.

 

“My role is to support the transition of AASA from a grass roots racing/heritage type product into a professional, dynamic, trusted and proven alternative for National level motorsport in Australia,” Ambrose explained.

 

“AASA is fully committed to making racing more affordable, more rewarding and more meaningful for both local racers and National stars.”

And so the scene is set for a highly competitive 2026 motorsport season for drivers, teams, categories and sanctioning bodies alike.

 

 

 

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