Five motorsport stars have made the top 50 Australian sports earners for 2012.
Formula 1 driver Mark Webber, retired MotoGP star and future V8 Supercars driver Casey Stoner, Motocross ace Chad Reed, NASCAR hero Marcos Ambrose and former V8 champion James Courtney represented the motor racing community in the annual list, published by BRW.
Webber placed second in the earner’s list with a cool $12 million for his role at Red Bull Racing – the team which has won the past three Constructor’s Championships.
Stoner’s lucrative salary from Honda was not enough to convince him to stay in the sport, opting for a quieter life at home in Australia, and likely in V8 Supercars.
Reed has battled with injury over the past 12 months, but remains one of the hottest motocross properties in America.
Ambrose has forged an impressive career in the tough NASCAR market, now with two NASCAR Sprint Cup wins to his name. The Richard Petty Motorsports driver was on the cusp of making his first ‘Chase’ this year.
Courtney, the only V8 Supercars driver to make the list, was ranked 47th. After winning the V8 Championship in 2010, the Holden Racing Team lured the star to join the factory Holden squad. He finished 10th in this year’s title.
The list was topped by Australian NBA basketballer Andrew Bogut.
See below for BRW Magazine’s full list of sports earners in 2012
1. Andrew Bogut (Basketball): $13.5 million
2. Mark Webber (Motorsport): $12 million
3. Adam Scott (Golf): $10.5 million
4. Casey Stoner (Motorsport): $8 million
5. Michael Clarke (Cricket): $5.5 million
6. Luke Wilkshire (Soccer): $5 million
7. Cadel Evans (Cycling): $4.5 million
8. Tim Cahill (Soccer): $4.5 million
9. Shane Watson (Cricket): $4.5 million
10. Grant Balfour (Baseball): $4 million
11. Jason Day (Golf): $4 million
12. Aaron Baddeley (Golf): $3.8 million
13. Mark Schwarzer (Soccer): $3.5 million
14. Brett Holman (Soccer): $3.5 million
15. Ricky Ponting (Cricket): $3.5 million
16. David Warner (Cricket): $3.2 million
17. Geoff Ogilvy (Golf): $3 million
18. Chad Reed (Motorsport): $3 million
19. David Anderson (Basketball): $2.5 million
20. Samantha Stosur (Tennis): $2.5 million
21. John Senden (Golf): $2.5 million
22. Marc Leishman (Golf): $2.2 million
23. Mick Fanning (Surfing): $2.2 million
24. Mark Bresciano (Soccer): $2.2 million
25. Gary Ablett (AFL): $2 million
26. Bernard Tomic (Tennis): $2 million
27. Greg Chalmers (Golf): $2 million
28. Taj Burrow (Surfing): $2 million
29. Scott McDonald (Soccer): $2 million
30. Michael Hussey (Cricket): $2 million
31. David Hussey (Cricket): $2 million
32. Joel Parkinson (Surfing): $2 million
33. Matthew Goss (Cycling): $2 million
34. Tom Scully (AFL): $1.8 million
35. Saverio Rocca (American football): $1.8 million
36. Israel Folau (AFL): $1.5 million
37. Matthew Neilsen (Basketball): $1.5 million
38. Edwina Tops-Alexander (Equestrian): $1.5 million
39. Marcos Ambrose (Motorsport): $1.5 million
40. Marcus Fraser (Golf): $1.5 million
41. Lucas Neill (Soccer): $1.5 million
42. Cameron White (Cricket): $1.5 million
43. Matthew Wade (Cricket): $1.3 million
44. Adam Federici (Soccer): $1.3 million
45. Chris Judd (AFL): $1.2 million
46. George Smith (Rugby union): $1.2 million
47. James Courtney (Motorsport): $1.2 million
48. Brendan Jones (Golf): $1.2 million
49. Peter Senior (Golf): $1.2 million
50. Daniel Christian (Cricket): $1.2 million
