Named: Australia’s next motorsport stars across MotoGP, V8 Supercars and F1
Start your engines! Hot on the heels of Piastri, Ricciardo, Doohan, Jones and Brabham we rev up the next generation of Australian motorsport heroes who will be tearing up the track for years to come.
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Australia has a rich history of producing international motorsport stars.
From Formula One stars, to IndyCar champions, to Bathurst 1000 winners, the green and gold have done it all.
So who are the next generation of stars set to take the world and Australia’s motorsport championships by storm?
We list, in alphabetical order, the young guns you should be keeping an eye on.
Kai Allen – 16, South Australia
Allen will compete in Super 2 in 2023 after winning the Super 3 championship on debut this year. The talented teenager has won six out of a possible eight races in the series this year and has won all but one round. He is also a two-time Australian Karting Championship champion.
Senna Agius – 17, New South Wales
Australia’s next great hope when it comes to motorcycle racing. The 17-year-old raced in the Moto2 championship this year, replacing Sam Lowes for four races. He finished a career high ninth in the last round in Valencia in November. Agius also competed in the Moto2 European Championships, finishing second and winning two races.
Aiva Anagnostiadis – 15, Victoria
One of the leading girls karters in the country. Anagnostiadis represented Australia at the FIA Motorsport Games. Competing in seniors, which is from 15-18, she was around the top 10 in practice, qualifying and heats before being involved in a crash in the final. Anagnostiadis also recently represented Australia in the KA100 class at the SKUSA SuperNationals in Las Vegas.
James Anagnostiadis – 12, Victoria
Anagnostiadis has won an incredible seven state titles this year and is the national champion in the junior max class in the Rotax Max Racing Australia championship. The talented karter finished 25th recently in Las Vegas in the X30 Junior class at the SKUSA SuperNationals event. He finished seventh in the KA4 Junior series at the Australian Karting Championship.
Cadel Ambrose – 14, Victoria
One of the rising stars in Victoria’s state series racing. Ambrose has been racing a Hyundai Excel this year after racing karts previously. Consistently inside the top five despite the fact he never raced the car before this year.
Valentino Astuti – 19, Victoria
Astuti is on track to become a Supercars driver after winning the Formula Ford championship this year. Astuti won it in the last round after his title rival Jimmy Piszcyk didn’t compete. Astuti, heading into the final event, was in contention all year and only a handful of points behind Piszcyk heading into the decider. In the past 16 years of Formula Ford, nine of the title winners have at some stage been Supercars drivers.
Jude Bargwanna – 17, New South Wales
Finished seventh in this year’s Formula Ford title and is currently competing in the S5000 series, racing at the recent Gold Coast 500. He is the nephew of a gun, 2000 Bathurst 1000 winner Jason Bargwanna.
Hugh Barter – 17, Victoria
Barter finished inside the top-two in not one but two championships overseas this year. He finished second in the Spanish and French F4 championships and impressed in both, winning 11 races in both categories. Barter is previously a member of the Ricciardo Kart Factory Team and the Richard Mille Young Talent Academy. It’s unclear what his plans for next year are yet.
Zach Bates – 18, Australian Capital Territory
The Canberra local finished second in this year’s Toyota 86 title, which has been a breeding ground for future Supercars drivers. Bates won seven out of 15 races and was only beaten to the title by 43 points. He comes from a racing family as well with Australian Rally Championship winners Harry Bates and Neal Bates his cousin and uncle respectively.
Jack Beeton – 14, Victoria
Been recognised by Ferrari as a talented junior on the rise. Beeton, along with Gianmarco Pradel (below), were selected to represent Asia and Oceania at the Ferrari Driver Academy World Scouting Finals for a spot in the Ferrari Driver Academy for 2023. Unfortunately Beeton missed but was able to go to Maranello in Italy to compete on the hallowed Ferrari grounds. Beeton finished sixth in this year’s KA4 Junior series in the Australian Karting Championship.
Peter Bouzinelos – 13, Victoria
Another talented karter who represented Australia this year at the FIA Motorsport Games. Competing in the junior class, from 12-15, he was inside the top-20 in the final before being involved in a crash which ended his day. He finished third in this year’s KA2 championship in the Australian Karting Championship.
Alice Buckley – 15, Queensland
One of the best young female talents in motorsport. Buckley this year was selected to be part of the FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars program, after going through an intense four-day camp in France and impressing. She recently, as part of the program, was able to test a F4 car around Ferrari’s test track at Pista Di Fiorano. Her brother is Patrick Buckley (below).
Patrick Buckley – Queensland
Buckley claimed the KA4 junior Australian Karting Championship title this year with his team Project X. He won three of the five rounds to claim the title.
Ky Burke – Queensland
This talented Bundaberg youngster is already a national champion, winning Cadet 9 in the Australian Karting Championship in 2019. Recently, he finished inside the top 10 in the KA4 Junior series in AKA and represented Australia overseas in the X30 series in Las Vegas at the SKUSA SuperNationals. A young star on the rise.
Corey Carson – New South Wales
A talented young junior despite not winning a national title this year. Carson got close, finishing second in the Mini Max series in the Rotax Max Racing Australia series and finishing inside the top-five in Cadet 12 in the Australian Karting Championship. He recently competed overseas in the world titles, in Mini Max, but was unable to make the final after an incident in the pre-final. He was running inside the top-15 before it happened in the heats.
Jensen Damaschino – 9, Victoria
Another junior under the age of 10 excelling in karting. The Victorian claimed the Cadet 9 title in the Australian Karting Championship. Expect him to rise to Cadet 12 next year.
Jack Doohan – 19, Queensland
Potentially Australia’s next Formula 1 driver. Doohan this year excelled in F2, in his first full season, finishing 6th in the title and winning three races. Doohan is currently a reserve driver for Formula 1 team Alpine racing and recently competed in practice sessions with the team in Mexico and Abu Dhabi.
Sebastian Eskandari-Marandi – 9, Queensland
He might be only nine and the youngest on this list, but he’s already one of Australia’s brightest motorsport prospects. Eskandari-Marandi won the Cadet 12 national title this year and recently competed overseas in the WSK Final Cup, finishing 18th out of 76 competitors in the main race. He also competed in the ROK Cup Superfinal, finishing sixth in the main race. He has signed with Tony Kart for next year and will race in 13 rounds in the WSK in the Mini60 class.
Marcos Flack – 16, Queensland
One of only a few young Australians competing overseas. The teenager competed in the GP3, British F3 championship and impressed, winning a race at Silverstone in the handful of rounds he competed. He also finished second in a race in Snetterton. Last year he finished 11th in the British F4 championship and is the son of Carrera Cup driver Damien Flack. It remains to be seen if he will be back next year.
Taylor Gill – 18, New South Wales
One of the Australia’s best rally prospects. Gill won the FIA Rally Star Asia-Pacific Final recently in India and will now race in six rallies overseas next year. If he is successful, he’ll graduate to one step below the World Rally Championship and be on track to race there. This year he is currently sixth in the Australian Rally Championship and finished inside the top four in the first rally of the year in Canberra.
Bayley Hall – 19, Queensland
One of the rising stars in the Porsche Carrera Cup and one of the youngest to compete in the national series. Hall had a couple of top-10 finishes throughout the year, in his first season in the biggest Porsche series in Australia.
Patrick Heuzenroeder – 16, New South Wales
Another driver who will compete in the British F4 championship next year. The talented teenager was on track to win this year’s New South Wales Formula Ford state title before heading overseas to try and earn the opportunity to race next year. He ended up third in the title race.
Armand Hamilton – Queensland
Another talented karter who went overseas this year to represent Australia at the Rotax World Titles. Competing in junior max, he failed to make the final. Hamilton finished 8th in the junior max title in the Rotax Max Racing Australia championship.
Jay Hanson – 19, Victoria
The teenager is on track to finish inside the top-10 in both the Super 2 and the Touring Car Australia championships in the same year. Hanson this year made the move to Super 2, the feeder series to the Supercars, after impressive performances in TCR previously. This year, in TCR, he won four races. Hanson finished fourth, his best finish in Super 2, in the first race at Sandown this year.
Jett Johnson – 17, Queensland
A third generation racer, following in his father (Steven Johnson) and grandfather’s (Dick Johnson) footsteps. And he’s already a national champion just like Steven and Dick after winning the TA2 title recently at Winton in the last round. Johnson also competed in the Trans Am national series this year and had a crack at a Supercar at a test day with the rest of his family. Next year it’s likely he’ll make the step up to Super 3 and be one step closer to racing Supercars just like the rest of his family did.
Mason Kelly – 17, Victoria
The son of former Supercars driver and Bathurst 1000 winner Todd Kelly. Kelly has been racing in the Sports Sedans series and finished 15th for the year, after only competing in three out of the five rounds. Recently, Kelly impressed at Sandown in a Nissan Altima Supercar in the Sports Sedans, finishing 5th, 8th and 12th in the races at the venue.
Joel Kelso – 19, Queensland
Another young rider rising through the ranks of MotoGP. Kelso made his full season debut in the Moto3 championship, riding a KTM. He finished 21st in the title and got 36 points in 18 races. Next year, he remains in Moto3 but will ride a CFMoto in the category.
Christian Mansell – 17, New South Wales
No relation to famous F1 driver Nigel Mansell, but for Christian he is on his way to one day doing the same. The 17-year-old finished third in this year’s Euroformula Open, the fourth tier below Formula One, winning two races and finishing on the podium in 13 other races. He also made his debut in the Formula 3 title, the third tier below F1, racing in two rounds. At this stage it is unknown what his plans are for next year.
Jonathon Marcusson – 19, New South Wales
The teenager won the DDS class at the Rotax Max Racing Australia series this year. He also represented Australia this year in the same class at the Rotax World Titles but missed the final.
Cameron McLeod – 17, Queensland
Finished third in the Australian Formula Ford championship this year and also went overseas to compete. McLeod, last year, competed in the British Formula 4 championship with TRS Arden Junior Racing Team and finished 20th in the championship. McLeod is the grandson of 1987 Bathurst 1000 winner Peter McLeod and son of Ryan McLeod, who owns MARC Cars Australia, and raced himself.
Nash Morris – 19, Queensland
The son of a gun who is winning national titles on his own. Nash Morris last year won the Super 3 title after winning four out of the nine races. He finished on the podium six times. This year he made the transition to Super 2 and while he didn’t get the results he was after, you can’t ignore the talent he has. Nash is the son of former Bathurst 1000 winner Paul Morris. And he is a star on the rise.
Kamal Mrad – 13, New South Wales
Represented Australia in the Rotax world titles after finishing third in the Rotax Max Racing Australia title in junior max. He also finished 26th in the KA2 title in the Australian Karting Championship.
Alex Ninovic – 15, New South Wales
A two-time national champion after claiming the KA3 national title this year in the Australian Karting Championship. He won the final round of the championship to secure the title after being second heading into the decider. Ninovic won the KA4 national title last year and is this year’s New South Wales state champion as well. Expect next year to see him compete in S5000 after already testing those cars.
Charlie Parker – 17, Tasmania
Parker finished second in this year’s Hyundai Excel state series in Tasmania. The teenager is the grandson of former Australian GT championship winner Greg Crick.
Jimmy Piszcyk – 15, South Australia
A talented teenager who has headed overseas to pursue his career. Piszcyk was on track to win this year’s Australian Formula Ford title before opting to miss the final round to head overseas to find a drive for next year. He was successful in doing it, signing with Hitech Grand Prix to race in the British F4 title next year. It’s a series which has been won previously by current Formula1 star Lando Norris. The South Australian recently competed in Abu Dhabi as part of a support F4 category to the Formula 1.
Gianmarco Pradel – 16, New South Wales
Pradel was selected by Ferrari as a star on the rise. He was picked to represent Asia and Oceania at the Ferrari Driver Academy World Scouting Finals for a spot in the Ferrari Driver Academy for next year. Unfortunately Pradel missed but was able to Maranello in Italy to compete on the hallowed Ferrari grounds. He finished eighth in the X30 series in the Australian Karting Championship this year.
Noah Sands – 18, New South Wales
This year’s Formula 3 champion after winning an incredible nine races this season out of 15. He hasn’t finished outside of the top four all year and wrapped up the title with one round to go. Recently, Sands competed in S5000 on the Gold Coast and finished inside the top six in all three races.
Hugo Simpson – Victorian
Inside the top three and was a race winner in a Hyundai Excel in the Victorian state series. Simpson before racing in the excel series was involved in karting.
Koda Singh – New South Wales
The junior won the national title in the Micro Max in the Rotax Max Racing Australia titles. He also competed in Cadet 9 in the Australian Karting Championship and won his state title in New South Wales. To top it off, he represented Australia recently in Micro Max at the world titles and finished 21st in the final.
Toby Spinks – New South Wales
The teenager finished second in the junior max titles in the Rotax Max Racing Australia Championship and competed for Australia recently at the Rotax World Titles in the senior max class. He wasn’t able to qualify for the final.
Bailey Sweeney – 19, New South Wales
Was the leading rookie in the Touring Car Racing Australia series and finished inside the top-five as well. He won two races this year, both coming at Bathurst. Someone to look out for in the title race next year in the TCR series.
Scarlett and Sebastian Tander – Victoria
The Tander siblings are following in their mother and father‘s footsteps in racing. The duo are the daughter and son respectively of Garth Tander and Leanne Tander. Both compete in karting events in Victoria and both have been successful, securing podiums in races. Time will tell if both can follow in their parents footsteps, who have combined for multiple national titles and a few Bathurst 1000 wins.
Costa Toparis – 15, New South Wales
Don’t be surprised if you hear more about this kid in the next few years. Toparis is a star on the rise. He won the KA2 title in the Australian Karting Championship and was signed by powerhouse international F4, F3 and F2 team Carlin for next year. Carlin has helped the likes of Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica, Daniel Ricciardo, George Russell, Carlos Sainz Jr. and Lando Norris make it to F1. Next year he will be competing in the GP3 series in Britain.
Ryder Quinn – 17, Queensland
A third generation driver who is looking to race in the Porsche Carrera Cup overseas one day. Quinn is the son of Klark Quinn, a GT racer, and grandson of Queensland Raceway owner and racer Tony Quinn. This year he finished fourth in the Australian Formula Ford championship and sixth in the Aussie Racing Car series. Early next year he will compete in the Toyota Racing Series in New Zealand.
Harrison Voight – 16, Queensland
A Red Bull Rookie who made his Moto3 debut this year. He finished in the top-10 in the championship, in Red Bull, and also had a second placed finish at the Sachsenring in Germany. Voight returned home recently to win the Australian Supersport Series final round at Tailem Bend, winning both races over the weekend.
James Wharton – 16, Victorian
Part of the Ferrari Driving Academy and one of the rising stars in Australian motorsport. He was the first winner of the program in 2020. Wharton is currently racing for one of the biggest teams in racing, Prema, who helped fellow Australian Oscar Piastri to make F1. The teenager competed in the Italian F4 this year and finished inside the top-five in the championship.
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