Led by experienced campaigner Ryan McLeod, son of 1987 Bathurst 1000 winner Peter, the team will field up to five cars over the course of the season.

RM Race Cars notably travelled to Le Mans for the Mustang Challenge Invitational in 2025, where McLeod’s son Cameron won the event.

The team will field two brand new Mustang Dark Horse Rs alongside two returning cars from Le Mans, including McLeod’s race winner.

An official Ford Racing recognised and endorsed outfit, RM Race Cars confirmed Josh Trappett and Keith Kassulke as the first two drivers in the stable.

Trappett joins the series as the third driver confirmed to compete in the Dark Horse Junior Class, alongside Matt Kiss and Imogen Radburn.

Trappett graduates from Queensland’s PMP Excel Series having been a consistent top 10 contender.

“Competing in Mustang Cup was a no-brainer for me. From Red Bull Racing in Formula 1 to Triple Eight Race Engineering in Supercars, Ford is the place to be right now,” said Trappett.

“I’ve raced in the Excel Series and Production Cars, but I’ve made the decision to get into something more powerful and Motorcraft Mustang Cup Australia was the best option for that.

“The main thing I’m excited about is everyone is on the same page. No one has run the Dark Horse R in a competitive environment here in Australia yet, so to be racing with a front-running team is great and we’re here to win.”

Team owner Ryan McLeod spoke highly of the opportunity to enter the new-to-Australia series, declaring it a “great addition to the Australian motorsport landscape.”

“We’ve been super impressed with all of our dealings with the category and the people running it. It’s awesome how highly Ford Racing regards Mustang Cup and how it’s a genuine part of its driver pathway,” said McLeod.

“With the announcement of the Mustang Cup coming to Australia, we put our hand up straight away to get involved in it because I honestly believe there’s big opportunities for young drivers to use it as a launch pad, or for gentlemen drivers to enjoy their racing in great machinery.

“A rear-wheel-drive, V8 one-make category will work here in Australia. Ford Racing’s support is another reason this will be exciting and I know this category is going to turn heads.”

The inaugural season of Motorcraft Mustang Cup Australia commences at Phillip Island alongside the Shannons SpeedSeries on March 27-29.