The announcement coincides with confirmation of race formats for the series, which will feature qualifying and a 40-minute race on each day.

Entrants will be able to compete solo or as a pair. Those who decide to enter two drivers will have one driver contest Saturday’s program and the other on Sunday.

Points earned by drivers in Saturday’s race will count towards the Johnson Cup while Sunday’s points will count towards the Ambrose Cup.

These are in addition to the outright ‘Dark Horse’ class, ‘Dark Horse Junior’ class for drivers 19 years old and under, and ‘Dark Horse Legends’ for drivers 40 years old and over.

“I’m really pleased to see the Mustang Cup come to Australia for 2026,” said Johnson.

“The Dark Horses are a serious bit of gear, and they are the perfect choice of car for young kids taking their first steps into V8-powered racing, or for the older drivers looking to get bang for their buck.

“I feel honoured to have my name on one of the prizes that will be awarded at the end of the season, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the category launch in March next year.”

Ambrose made a name for himself not only in Australia as a two-time Supercars champion, but as a NASCAR Cup Series race winner.

“I’ve driven for a lot of other manufacturers around the world, but none are as close to my heart as Ford and my time racing here in Australia with the Blue Oval,” said Ambrose.

“We had a great time together, we had a huge fanbase, we did a lot of winning and it really was just a glorious time to be around motorsport and the Ford brand.”

Ambrose endorsed the new Mustang Cup, which will be a key part of the Shannons SpeedSeries in 2026.

The first round of the new one-make series begins at Phillip Island on March 27-29.

“When the Mustang Cup Australia and Ford came to me to talk about the category and whether it would be okay to put my name on one of their trophies, I said ‘absolutely’,” he added.

“It’s such a great thing. I love Mustangs, I’m a huge fan of Ford, I have a huge soft spot in my heart for the brand here in Australia. I’m certainly happy to help.

“You can race for the Ambrose Cup or the Johnson Cup, but my trophy is going to be bigger! So, you better race for the bigger one.”

Mustang Cup Australia series manager Liam Curkpatrick hailed the big-name endorsements.

“Having the support of legends like Dick Johnson and Marcos Ambrose is a huge coup for Mustang Cup Australia,” said Curkpatrick.

“We appreciate their support and look forward to honouring them for years to come as our drivers compete to hold up their cups each year.”

“Like all modern one-make and sportscar categories, there’s a class structure that opens up ‘races within races’ – ensuring that whoever you are and wherever you are running, there’s always something to race for.

“On top of awarding an outright Mustang Cup Champion each year, we are excited to introduce the unique opportunity of an optional two-driver format, allowing two drivers to pursue separate championships or one driver to compete in both. It creates further opportunities and excitement within the series.”