Walkinshaw TWG Racing announces new ownership, Director

Walkinshaw TWG Racing has announced new ownership, welcoming Scott O'Donnell and ODFI Ltd to the team.

Confirmed Tuesday, New Zealand businessman O'Donnell joins as Director, with ODFI Ltd purchasing shares in the now Toyota homologation team.

The team’s name and entity remains unchanged.

O'Donnell and ODFI Ltd's arrival commences a new era of ownership for the team, after Zak Brown and United Autosports stepped away at the end of 2025.

The departure of United led to a rebrand of the team, which changed its name from Walkinshaw Andretti United to Walkinshaw TWG Racing. United Autosports, co-founded by Brown, sold its stake to focus on international endurance racing.

After the exit of United, Walkinshaw TWG Racing’s ownership structure was split between the two existing parties, Walkinshaw Group and TWG Motorsports. The Ryan Walkinshaw-led Walkinshaw Group and Dan Towriss-led TWG Motorsports purchased the United Autosport shares. WTWGR now returns to three-pronged ownership, with O'Donnell alongside Walkinshaw and Towriss.

TWG Motorsports, led by CEO Towriss, took over from Andretti Global as it prepared a 2026 Formula 1 entry with Cadillac. TWG also absorbed Andretti Global's Cadillac F1 project, as well as its IndyCar, Supercars teams, NASCAR (Spire Motorsports) and sportscar (Wayne Taylor Racing) teams. TWG Motorsports is under the TWG Global umbrella, and has interests in the likes of Chelsea Football Club and Los Angeles Dodgers.

O'Donnell brings a wealth of business and motorsport experience to the team, and is no stranger to both team and driver Ryan Wood. O’Donnell is a Director of HW Richardson Group, which owns 46 companies, employing 2000 people across six sectors including road freight.

The team was already connected to HW Richardson Group via its role as the Mobil 1 Lubricants distributor in New Zealand, through its Allied Petroleum business.

O'Donnell, a New Zealand native, has also sponsored the likes of Wood and Louis Sharp, and last year, was appointed a trustee of the MotorSport New Zealand Scholarship Trust. Last year, O'Donnell purchased Wood's 2025 Ford Mustang, which is now based in Invercargill.

O'Donnell and ODFI Ltd arrive amid a big season for WTWGR, which is two rounds into its Toyota era. Wood and reigning champion Chaz Mostert sit seventh and 10th in the standings heading to the ITM NZ Double Header.

“It’s fantastic to be joining Walkinshaw TWG Racing, a place and a team I know very well," O'Donnell said.

“The opportunity came up late last year with United Autosports moving on, and it caught our interest once the team reached out. It was all pretty seamless from there really. Motorsport has always been a huge passion of mine, and while I hadn’t considered a role like this before, I am genuinely excited to be involved.

“There are so many positives around the team. There are two great drivers in Chaz and Ryan, the team has such a proud and successful history, and the new era with Toyota is fantastic.

“I’m really looking forward to working more closely with Ryan, Dan and the entire team. I’ve got great relationship with Bruce Stewart, and there is no shortage of Kiwis in the team. We will definitely be looking to make the most of the upcoming double-header and capitalise on that.”

It's the latest change in what has been a line of changes in the paddock. Of the 12 teams on the grid, half have welcomed new ownership in the last five years, including the top four teams in the championship at the time of publication.

O'Donnell joined fellow Directors Walkinshaw and Towriss at the Grand Prix earlier this month.

Walkinshaw said O'Donnell adds business and motorsport nous to the team.

“I’ve known Scott for a very long time now, we’ve worked extremely well together in the past, he’s been a loyal and key supporter of the team, and we are now delighted to welcome him on board. He knows the team well, the people, how we operate, so he’s really hit the ground running," Walkinshaw said.

“Everything we do here is about making our team better, and this is no different. Scott brings a wealth of knowledge, experience and passion to the team that will no doubt strengthen us this year and beyond, not just on the business side of operations, but with a key motorsport knowledge as well.”

Towriss added: “It’s fantastic to have Scott join us as a Director of the team. From our first dealings with each other, it was clear he was the right person to bring in.

“He’s extremely passionate about the team, about the sport and about motorsport in general, so I’m excited to see where we can continue to take this team in the future.”