As Speedcafe.com celebrates its fifth birthday week, we look back at the best in Australian and international motorsport over the last half-decade.
Today we focus on the very best drivers over the last five years both domestically and internationally, as selected by our editorial team.
Domestic
1 – Jamie Whincup
Ever since Jamie Whincup was hired as Craig Lowndes’ team-mate at Triple Eight in 2006, he has continued a meteoric rise scarcely matched in the sport.
During that time he has compiled a stunning dossier that sees his victory tally at 85 from 334 races which includes five championships and four Bathurst 1000s.
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During an eight-year period Whincup has managed to keep one of the greatest touring car drivers, Craig Lowndes, in his shadow which in itself suggests he is among the very best in his craft of any era.
2 – Mark Winterbottom
A Ford man through and through, Mark Winterbottom has been knocking on the door of a championship for quite a few seasons.
He has fallen short each time although he climbed to the rooftop of Australian motor racing by winning the 2013 Bathurst 1000.
Armed with 27 race wins, Winterbottom has finished no further back than fifth in the championship standings since 2006.
3 – Craig Lowndes
Since storming onto the Australian touring car scene early in the all V8 tenure in the 1990s, Craig Lowndes has become the winner of the most individual races.
Topping the list at 97 victories, Lowndes has surged past the retired Mark Skaife (90), with Whincup third best on 85.
Although playing second fiddle to Whincup over their long running tenure at Triple Eight, Lowndes continues to remain a force in the championship.
4 – James Courtney
The British and European Formula Ford champion and former top F3 runner-up came into V8 Supercars to replace NASCAR-bound Marcos Ambrose in 2006.
Since then Courtney has become a major force in the category with his crowning glory coming with a dramatic against-the-odds championship success with the battling Dick Johnson Racing team in 2010.
Courtney’s effort that year stands as the only time Jamie Whincup’s championship stranglehold has been broken since 2008.
5 – Will Davison
After stints in British Formula Renault and Formula 3 and subsequently a one-off test in a Minardi F1 car in 2004, Will Davison ventured back to Australia.
He dipped his toes in V8 Supercars initially in the co-driver races at Sandown and Bathurst in 2004 with Team Dynamik before landing enduro drives with DJR the following year.
In 2006 Davison was pitched into DJR as a full-timer ultimately recording his maiden category win to end a long drought for DJR at Eastern Creek in 2008.
Davison’s crowning achievements in V8 Supercars to date are a Bathurst 1000 victory a second place in the championship, both with the Holden Racing Team in 2010.
International
1 – Sebastian Vettel
Only a few weeks after Speedcafe.com fired up in cyberspace, Jenson Button was crowned the 2009 F1 World Champion.
However in the ensuing seasons there has only ever been one other F1 titleholder with German Sebastian Vettel sweeping to the titles from 2010-2013 in a Schumacher-style era of dominance.
Although Vettel has struggled against new team-mate Daniel Ricciardo in 2014, he remains unarguably the most credentialed driver in the world over the last five years.
2 – Sebastien Loeb
Arriving on the WRC scene as somewhat of a tarmac specialist in the early 2000s, there was little to indicate what lay ahead of Sebastien Loeb.
After storming to the season-opening Monte Carlo Rally win in 2004, Loeb would not be dislodged as the king of the WRC until last season when he wound back his appearances to mere cameos.
The Citroen poster boy Loeb stands as the most successful driver in the five-decade history of the WRC by claiming nine consecutive titles from 2004 to 2012.
3 – Jimmie Johnson
Stringing together a remarkable sequence of five straight championships, Jimmie Johnson was the king of NASCAR from 2006-2010.
After three comparatively quiet seasons, Johnson further solidified his place as a NASCAR legend by winning the title for a sixth time in 2013.
4 – Marc Marquez
The MotoGP class has been graced with another superstar in the form of Marc Marquez who has set about reshaping the record books.
Following the recent Motegi race, Marquez became the youngest competitor to win back-to-back MotoGP titles, surpassing the late Mike Hailwood.
Prior to joining the premier class last season, Marquez showed his promise by winning the highly competitive Moto2 title.
5 – Fernando Alonso
After winning back-to-back titles for Renault in the middle of last decade Fernando Alonso has made his mark at the top echelon of grand prix drivers.
With much fanfare Alonso signed a colossal contract with Ferrari in 2010 where he has remained ever since in a bid to lift the Maranello marque back to the top of the tree.
He has not won the title during Speedcafe.com’s five-year existence, but remains regarded by many as the most complete driver in the sport.
TOMORROW: Speedcafe.com’s fifth birthday celebrations continue with a countdown of the five most memorable domestic and international races over the last five years.
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