The Ranger Raptor took over from the Mustang as the Supercars Safety Car for 2023. Image: Supplied/Mark Horsburgh
Ford Australia has pulled vital advertising dollars from Supercars telecasts and will end its Safety Car and support vehicle program at the end of 2023, Speedcafe understands.
Ford officially announced its return to the Supercars at the 2018 Phillip Island round for the following season, coinciding with homologation of the Gen2 Mustang to replace the outgoing Ford Falcon FG X.
Part of its return included marketing support, such as advertising space during Supercars broadcasts – including ‘Ford Keys to the Circuit’ and Fastest Lap’ – as well as support vehicles.
The support vehicles included the Ford Mustang Safety Car (now a Ranger Raptor) and Mustang Course Car, Ranger Raptor Recovery Vehicle, as well as the Medical Car – which was originally the now defunct Mondeo but has changed several times and is now the Escape ST-Line.
Rumblings in pit lane at Round 7 of the Supercars Championship at Sydney Motorsport Park last weekend suggested that it was an indication of Ford’s dissatisfaction with the category, with the frustrations boiling over for Tickford’s Cam Waters following a penalty in Saturday’s Race 18.
Shane van Gisbergen also made remarks about the category, saying he agreed with Waters’ comments.
When contacted by Speedcafe, a Ford Australia spokesperson would not confirm or deny the decisions on the record.
The Australian office did, however, provide a more general statement, saying, “We are passionate about racing and continue to support our Supercars teams” and that it “regularly evaluate[s] advertising and sponsorship investments based on priorities.”
It’s worth noting the comments focus on the Ford teams and makes no specific reference to the category.
When asked by Speedcafe last week, Ford Performance Head of Motorsport Mark Rushbrook suggested that progress was being made on the ongoing parity issues that have tainted the introduction of Gen3 and the S650 Ford Mustang.
Despite this, he admitted that there was still a level of frustration with Supercars, especially when compared to other categories the brand competes in, such as NASCAR.
Additionally, the reduction in Ford Australia’s investment in Supercars is suggested too reflect the brand’s shift into other areas of motorsport, having release both GT3 and GT4 versions of its new S650 Mustang, but most notably its step into Formula 1 with Red Bull Racing for the 2026 season.
While Ford Australia’s marketing budget is separate to US funding, Dearborn may have been making contributions to the account that enable Ford to have a greater presence in Supercars.
However, Rushbrook was clear that Ford’s entry into F1 would not impact its commitment to Supercars when it made the announced its involvement earlier this year.
Keyword: Ford pulls Supercars Safety Car and advertising support