We name the future stars of Australian motorsport
Oscar Piastri broke through for his first Formula One win of his career on the weekend. Now the next generation is looking to follow in his footsteps. Here's who to keep an eye on.
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Australia certainly knows how to produce talent when it comes to motorsport.
On the domestic stage legends have been made each year at the Bathurst 1000 while the greatest have gone on to win Supercars/Australian Touring Car Championships.
Internationally, there has been Formula 1 World Champions and winners to come from Australia while others have claimed success at the Le Mans 24 hour, the Indianapolis 500 and other major events.
There’s even been countless MotoGP title winners.
So who are the next generation of stars to come from this country.
We’ve gathered more than 50 names, aged 21 and under, who are well on their way to stardom in a range of motorsports from two wheels to four.
Check out the list below.
Senna Agius (New South Wales) – Could be Australia’s next MotoGP rider after Jack Miller. Agius last year claimed the Moto2 European championship, winning all but one race he competed in to claim the title by 77 points. The 18-year-old also competed in several Moto2 races but will now make the transition to the category full time, riding with Liqui Moly Husqvarna Intact GP. Moto2 is the feeder series to the MotoGP.
Kai Allen (South Australia) – Almost certainly lock the rising star into Supercars for next year. Allen won the Super 2 series last year in his first season in the series, beating Zak Best in the final round in Adelaide. He also made his Bathurst 1000 debut for Dick Johnson Racing in a wildcard. Expect him to make more appearances in Supercars in wildcards this year.
Aiva Anagnostiadis (Victoria) – One of Australia’s brightest hopes to get a female into Formula 1. Anagnostiadis is currently part of the Alpine Rac(H)er Academy Program with the 16-year-old moving to England for the start of this year. A highly successful go-karter, the Victorian will do the same in England, looking to rise up the rankings to Formula 1. She joins fellow Aussie Jack Doohan as a member of the Formula 1 team’s academy.
James Anagnostiadis (Victoria) – A talented karter, just like his sister Aiva. The teenager finished third in the KA3 junior series in the Australian Karting Championship and also won overseas late last year in the United Arab Emirates in the Champions of the Future race. It was his first win overseas. Expect him to race overseas more this year.
Jude Bargwanna (New South Wales) – The teenager won the Kumho Touring Car series last year, the fourth tier of Supercars. The nephew of former Bathurst 1000 winner Jason Bargwanna, the 19-year-old will be looking to rise up the grade with either a Super 3 or Super 2 seat this year. In recent years he has competed in Formula Ford and S5000.
Zach Bates (ACT) – Finished top-five in the Super 2 series last year in his first full season in the category. The son of rally driver Rick Bates, the 20-year-old currently drives for Walkinshaw Andretti United and will remain with the team this year. He’ll be looking to do what his teammate Ryan Wood did last year, impress in the series to get a full-time Supercars drive in 2025. He could become the second ACT driver to do it with Cameron Hill, from Canberra, currently in the main game.
Hugh Barter (Victoria) – Competed in F3 last year for Campos Racing and finished inside the top-10 in three races. But he lost his drive towards the end of the season, missing the final round. It’s unclear what Barter is doing in 2024 but his performances in the past 24 months, in F3 and the Spanish and French F4 title, makes him a rising star in the sport.
Jack Beeton (Victoria) – Won the Formula 4 South East Asia Championship last year and also competed in the Italian F4 championship as he continues his rise in the sport. The 16-year-old in 2022 almost made the Ferrari Driving Academy, falling short at the last hurdle. He then had success overseas which will now set him up for a big 2024. This includes signing with AGI Sport for the Formula 4 UAE series, which is currently underway.
Alice Buckley (Queensland) – One of the best junior female racers in the country. Buckley is about to compete in the Toyota 86 Racing series in Australia after dominating and graduating from the scholarship program. She is also currently competing in the New Zealand series. Buckley in 2022 was selected as one of the FIA Girls on Track Rising Stars finalists after a four-day camp in France and was not far away from being part of Ferrari’s Driver Academy.
Cody Burcher (New South Wales) – Will make his debut in Super 3 this year, signing with MW Motorsport in the off-season. It follows a successful season in the Toyota 86 series where he finished third in the series and also won a race at Bathurst. Burcher, 20, is an accountant when he isn’t racing.
Corey Carson (New South Wales) – Won his first national title last year in the Cadet 12 series, beating out the best young karters from across Australia. Will now graduate to the KA2 class this year, looking to further rise up the ranks as a junior.
Pip Casabene (Victoria) – Won last year’s KA3 junior title in the Australian Karting Championship after winning a round in Newcastle earlier in the season. He also competed overseas in the Champions Of The Future Academy late in the year. Casabene will compete in the X30 series in the AKC this year.
Ryan Casha (Queensland) – The 19-year-old won the Toyota 86 series last year, which has been a major feeder series for producing quality drivers in recent years. It’s not clear what he will he doing in 2024 but Casha did test a Supercar with Walkinshaw Andretti United last year and is expected to be searching for a drive in the Super 2 series.
Joanne Ciconte (Victoria) – Was part of the Girls on Track FIA program last year, representing Australia in the showcase in Italy. She was one of the last four in the program but just missed out on being part of Ferrari’s Academy. But she was able to go to Ferrari’s famous test track in Italy to fight for a chance to be part of the team and race in the Formula 4 championship this year. Ciconte has been racing go-karts for five years and last year won an Australian Pink Plate championship.
Jensen Damaschino (Victoria) – A national champion already, claiming the Cadet 9 title in 2022. The Victorian karter will compete in Cadet 12 this season, looking for his second national title.
Jack Doohan (Queensland) – Australia’s next best hope of being in the Formula 1 after Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo. Doohan is currently part of the Formula 1 team Alpine’s academy and will be their test driver this year. It follows two seasons in F2 where he won six races and finished third in the championship in 2023. If one of the Alpine drivers, Pierre Gasly or Esteban Ocon, is unable to race this year, Doohan could make his debut. He turned down an IndyCar drive last year to keep his F1 dreams alive.
Sebastian Eskandari-Marandi (Victoria) – One of the best karters in the world for his age. Last year he won the WSK Super Cup mini under-10 crown in Italy, showing his talents to the world. This year he’ll compete in the OKN-Junior class in the WSK in five rounds overseas while also competing in Italy. Eskandari-Marandi has already won a national title in Australia, claiming the Cadet 12 title in 2022.
Broc Feeney (Queensland) – Already an established driver in Supercars and he’s just 21. Feeney won the 2021 Super 2 championship before joining Triple 888 in Supercars. He won his first race in 2022 before winning a further five last year, including the Sandown 500, to finish fourth in the championship. Feeney will start the year as one of the favourites for the title.
Lana Flack (Queensland) – Created history last year by becoming the first girl in 26 years to win a round in the Australian Karting Championship in Cadet 12. She ended up second in the title race, losing the crown despite leading the title at stages during the season. She will graduate to the KA3 Junior class this year.
Marcos Flack (Queensland) – The 17-year-old returned to Australia last year and impressed in both Porsche series – the Michelin Sprint Challenge and the Carrera Cup. Flack is expected to compete again in both series, looking to build towards being a championship contender in both. One to look out for in the future in Porsche racing.
Lewis Francis (Victoria) – A two-time national champion in karting who is currently competing overseas. The 14-year-old finished 17th in the European Championship in the OK junior class while also competing in the Champions of the Future category in Europe. He also finished 33rd in the World Karting Championship in an impressive performance from him against the world’s best.
Taylor Gill (New South Wales) – It’s been eight years since an Australian competed in the World Rally Championship and Gill is the best chance to break the drought. This year he will compete in the junior WRC, which is the fourth tier on the way to the WRC. His drive has been fully funded after he won a spot on the FIA Rising Stars championship in 2022, competing last year in multiple rallies. Wins in the category helped him to move to the junior WRC this year. If he’s successful in the next few years he could moved to the WRC2, which is one step below a WRC drive.
Rylan Gray (New South Wales) – The teenager won races in both the Aussie Racing Cars and the Toyota 86 series before impressing on debut in Super 3 at Adelaide in the final round last year. The Tickford driver finished second and fourth and is now expected to race Supercars in either Super 2 or Super 3 this year. A decision on which one has not been made yet.
Bailey Hall (Queensland) – Another Porsche Carrera Cup driver who will have his eyes on the title this year. Hall was one of the standouts last year with the 20-year-old finishing fourth and claiming his first ever wins in the series, at home, on the Gold Coast late in the season. Will start the year as one of the favourites based on his last half of the season in 2023.
Nathan Herne (New South Wales) – A two-time national champion in Australian Trans-Am who raced in America last year in the same series and finished 11th in the standings. Is one of a batch of drivers who are looking to the United States to compete and work towards NASCAR. The 21-year-old could be racing more than 25 times in America this year.
Patrick Heuzenroeder – (New South Wales) – A rising star in open wheel racing. Heuzenroeder last year competed in the F4 British Championship before moving to the GB3 series late in the year to compete in their final two rounds. It’s unclear what he will be doing in 2024 but the New South Wales teenager is expected to race overseas.
Matthew Hillyer (Victoria) – Already touted as a rising star in motorsport with Hillyer part of the Walkinshaw Andretti United academy. Last year he won the Australian Formula Ford title and also competed in the Toyota 86 series. With eight of the last 14 champions heading to Supercars in their career, Hillyer is well on the way to doing the same.
Jett Johnson (Queensland) – The third generation racer competed in the Super 3 last year, finishing second in the series after a year of strong consistency. He didn’t finish a race but ended up on the podium in five races. The son of Steven Johnson and grandson of Dick Johnson has also done laps in DJR’s Supercar in preparation for one day working his way to the top category. For now, he is expected to remain in either Super 3 or progress to Super 2 to get more experience under his belt.
Mason Kelly (Victoria) – The son of former Bathurst 1000 winner Todd Kelly. Kelly, competing in Super 3, got better as the year wore on, slowly showing his talent in the category. He finished with podiums in four of his last six races and finished fourth in the standings. It’s unclear what he is doing this year but he’s one of the best young talents coming through.
Joel Kelso (Queensland) – Is set for another year in Moto3 after impressing in Australia in wet conditions late last year. Kelso finished third in the race, in awful conditions, showing he is worth of a spot in the field. He’ll be hoping to improve again and move forward towards a career in MotoGP one day.
Jay Kostecki (Western Australia) – Jay could be another Kostecki destined for great things after a strong season in karting last year. He finished second in the Cadet 9 series in the Australian Karting Championship and will make the move to Cadet 12 this year. Jay is the younger brother of Supercar drivers Jake and Kurt Kostecki with Brodie Kostecki, last year’s Supercars champion, his cousin.
Jett Lawrence (Queensland) – If you haven’t heard of Lawrence, don’t worry you soon will. Lawrence might be just 20 but he’s already one of the best in motocross in the world. The Queenslander last year claimed the 450cc motocross title in America, winning all races, and the 250cc SX West Supercross title. He is now competing in the Supercross 450cc title this year and won the first round at the start of the year.
Campbell Logan (Tasmania) – It’s been nine years since a Tasmanian was on the Supercars grid and Logan could be the driver to break the drought. Logan will race for Walkinshaw Andretti United in the Super 2 series after competing in the Toyota 86 series last year. The 19-year-old finished second in the series and won three races.
Aaron Love (Western Australia) - Love will make his debut in Supercars this year after working his way to the top category through Porsche Carrera Cup and Super 2. Early on, he finished inside the top-three three times in the Porsche Carrera Cup and raced overseas before coming back to race in Super 2 last year with the Blanchard Racing Team. He won a race in Bathurst before also finishing second in two races in Perth. Love is a quick driver who will take time to find his feet in Supercars but he is one to watch out for in the future.
Christian Mansell (New South Wales) – The 18-year-old will be looking to build on an impressive debut season in Formula 3 as he races with a new team this year. Mansell finished 12th in last year’s championship, which included a 2nd place finish in Belgium in the feature race. Incredibly the podium finish came after he started the race in 23rd. The New South Welshman has joined ART this season who won the Formula 2 drivers title, the next category up, with Théo Pourchaire last year.
Cameron McLeod (Queensland) – If not for two DNF’s at Sandown during the season, McLeod could have won the Super 3 title. The third-generation racer is a star and won nine of the 12 races in the category last season. He will compete in Super 2 this season and is a PremierAir Academy driver. The 19-year-old could be on the Supercars grid next year.
Nash Morris (Queensland) – The son of Paul Morris, who won the Bathurst 1000 in 2014, Nash is already a national title winner, claiming the Super 3 crown in 2021. After competing in Super 2 the past two seasons the 20-year-old will compete in the Porsche Carrera Cup this year. He will start as one of the favourites for the title.
Alex Ninovic (New South Wales) – Ninovic will go from the Spanish to the British F4 championship this year after impressing in 2023. He finished 10th in the standings, which included one podium in Valencia. Ninovic is a former Australian national kart champion, winning the KA3 junior class in 2022.
Brock Nolan (Queensland) – The Townsville karter is one of the best juniors in Australia. Last year he won the Australian Karting Championship in Cadet 9, his first national title. Nolan will make the transition to Cadet 12 this season to chase another title.
Jimmy Piszcyk (South Australia) – Finished an impressive fifth in the British F4 championship last year, winning two races during the season. A talented open wheel driver, Piszcyk was on track to win the Formula Ford title in 2022 before opting to miss the final round to pursue his racing dreams overseas. At this stage it is unknown what his 2024 plans are.
Jure Portelli (Queensland) – Was part of the Girls on Track FIA program last year, representing Australia in the showcase in Italy. The 12-year-old, who has competed in karting for more than a year, won 20 of her 40 races she competed in.
Gianmarco Pradel (New South Wales) – Another driver who almost made the Ferrari Driver Academy in 2022. Last year he competed in the Italian F4 series and the Euro F4 series and finished 13th in each category. This included on podium in the Italian series. He is currently competing in the United Arab Emirates F4 series.
Ryder Quinn (Queensland) – Quinn in a third-generation race who made his debut in the Porsche Carrera Cup last year, finishing 16th in the series after missing one and a half rounds. Quinn is the son of Klark and grandson of Tony, who is one of the most successful businessman in Australia and New Zealand. Expect Ryder to be back in the Porsche Carrera Cup again this season.
Jacob Roulstone (New South Wales) – Another rising star in motorbike racing and one to earmark for the future. Roulstone will make his debut in the Moto3 championship for Red Bull Tech 3 KTM after impressing last year. The 18-year-old finished fifth in the Red Bull Rookies Cup and seventh in the FIM Junior GP World Championship. Don’t be surprised if he secures a podium or a win this season with the team he is at.
Tom Sargent (New South Wales) – Became the first Aussie last year to win a Porsche Carrera Cup race in America and finished second in the series. Sargent moved to America to race after winning the Michelin Sprint Challenge series in Australia in 2022. He should be back in the American series this year, looking to win the title.
Archie Schmidt (South Australia) – From the Adelaide Hills, Schmidt might be just 13 but he’s already won a national title in bike racing. Schmidt claimed the Oceania Junior Cup last year as part of the Australian Superbike Championship. This year he will compete in the Asia Talent Cup, which is one of the first steps to competing in MotoGP.
Tommy Smith (Victoria) – Will compete in the F3 series after making his debut last year in the category. Smith struggled at times during the season but did find form in Melbourne at the Australian Grand Prix finishing 12th in the feature race. He and his team will be hoping to push for top-ten finishes throughout the year. He is the nephew of former Supercars driver Jack Smith.
Jobe Stewart (South Australia) – Another rising star in motorsport from South Australia. Stewart last year won the Super 3 series title after a consistent season. He finished inside the top two in 11 of the 12 races, winning four of them. Expect him to move into the Super 2 series.
Oscar Targett (Queensland) – Targett is already on track to become a Supercars driver with the teenager part of the Grove Racing academy. Last year he competed in the Michelin Sprint Challenge and finished third in the title race before also competing in the Toyota 86 Racing series. It is unclear what he will compete in this year but expect him to race something to guide him closer to Supercars.
William Thompson (Victoria) – The rising star finished second in last year’s KA3 junior title in the Australian Karting Championship. Thompson will compete in KA3 senior class this year.
Costa Toparis (New South Wales) – Competed in the GB3 series this season and finished in the top 15. He is currently racing in the Formula Regional Middle East Championship and made his debut last weekend in the category. Toparis was a star in karting, winning the KA2 class in 2022 before heading overseas to race. While his 2024 plans are unclear after the Middle East series, expect Toparis to be racing something.
Brad Vaughan (South Australia) – The Tickford Super 2 driver will be looking for a more consistent season to show his talent after his first season saw some highs and lows. Vaughan finished second in two races but failed to finish or start four others in the 12 race calendar.
Jackson Walls (New South Wales) – Fell agonisingly short of winning the Porsche Carrera Cup title last year in Australia, losing in the final race of the season to New Zealander Callum Hedge. Walls is currently competing overseas in the Porsche Carrera Cup Middle East series but is expected to be back in Australia competed in the local version with the aim of going one better. A 21-year-old on the rise in Porsche’s.
Max Walton (Queensland) – Won the KA2 series in the Australian Karting Championship and did it in dominant style, winning with more than one round to spare. He also finished second in the FIA Karting Academy trophy. Walton is part of Australian team Volante Rosso Motorsport’s academy and has been earmarked for future events racing with them when he gets older. The 15-year-old this year will compete in the X30 series looking to add another national title.
Cooper Webster (Victoria) – A two-time national karting champion who competed overseas last year. Webster raced in the GB4 championship, finishing second in the standings. In Australia, he finished 3rd in the S5000 series after also finishing second in the series in 2022. Webster this year will race in the Eurocup-3 series in Europe, looking to get closer to competing in Formula 1.
James Wharton (Victoria) – Was part of Ferrari’s Driver Academy from 2021 to 2023 but has opted to move away from it for this year. The 17-year-old won the F4 United Arab Emirates title last year and will make the rise to the Formula Regional European Championship this year with Prema, paving the way to potentially rise to F3, F2 or even Formula 1 in the future.
Note: This story was originally published before the 2024 season.
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