WALKINSHAW Andretti United is set to expand its development program with a move into the Toyota Gazoo Racing Australia 86 Series.
The step has long been in the works, deepening its roots beyond its recent return to the Dunlop Super2 Series after a decade away.
WAU team principal Bruce Stewart hinted at an impending announcement during the Sunday Fox Sports broadcast at Newcastle.
“We’re soon to announce, we’re going into Toyota 86 and extending that pipeline and bringing young talent through,” he said.
MORE: Walkinshaw on leading Ford’s Supercars charge
V8 Sleuth understands WAU will start out with one car in the new TGRA Scholarship Series with a view to qualifying for the top tier 86s category, which doesn’t get underway until July.
It’s believed a driver has been lined up, the identity of whom is being closely guarded for now.
WAU had an up-and-down Super2 showing in Newcastle, with the highlight being a stunning pole position for rookie Ryan Wood on Sunday.
“We want to help the pipeline of youth into our team and into this sport,” Stewart said of his team’s motivation to partake in Super2.
“It’s not only drivers, what we discovered when we did wildcards over the last few years is you actually train up engineers, train up mechanics and you actually widen the workforce so now we’re really making a concerted effort to bring young talent through.”
WAU also scouted expansion opportunities at last month’s Bathurst 12 Hour, while its automotive arm was behind a Warren Luff-led Australian Off Road Championship tilt in 2022.
