40 – Josh Buchan
Josh Buchan’s TCR World Tour win on the streets of Macau was a sight to behold.
Alongside the likes of the Nurburgring and Mount Panorama, the Guia streets are arguably the toughest streets in the world.
Buchan, despite his relatively low profile compared with his rivals, withstood massive pressure of the occasion and from his opponents to clinch the second TCR race at the Macau Grand Prix.
39 – Harri Jones
After utterly dominating Porsche Carrera Cup Australia in 2024, Harri Jones looked like he would continue that streak after winning the first four races of 2025.
A wretched run at Mount Panorama began a slide that ultimately culminated in missing out on the title to Dylan O’Keeffe.
On race wins, it was 9-3 to Jones, but O’Keeffe – like others on this list – proved that consistency is key.
38 – Jake Santalucia
Porsche’s one-make categories are among the hardest to win, and this year’s Michelin Sprint Challenge was one of the fiercest competitions.
Jake Santalucia was Mr Consistent, constantly in contention for wins and podiums – taking seven wins and an additional three podiums. His top five count totalled 13 from 17 races.
The step up from Sprint Challenge to Carrera Cup is not for the faint hearted, but Santalucia has all the right ingredients to succeed.
37 – Taylor Gill
Taylor Gill was cruelly denied this year’s Junior WRC title in the most brutal circumstances, losing his grip on the title on the final stage by 1.6 seconds.
In a list dominated by the best drivers on asphalt, Gill’s achievement deserves to be recognised.
If he does make the step up to Rally2 in some capacity – whether that’s in Australia or overseas – he will be worth watching in 2026.
36 – Hayden Paddon
At 38 years old, Hayden Paddon continues to show why he’s revered globally.
Paddon dominated the Australian Rally Championship, beating Australia’s Bates brothers in their own backyard.
There’s no doubt his run of success in the European Rally Championship and Australian Rally Championship has been part of the reason why Hyundai called him up for a WRC return.
35 – Tom Sargent
United States-based Australian Tom Sargent has flown under the radar in recent years. The nature of Pro-Am racing often means drivers-for-hire aren’t always in the spotlight.
In 2025, he nearly claimed the biggest gong of his young career, coming up just shy of winning the fiercely competitive GTD class at the Daytona 24.
Another runner-up result later in the IMSA SportsCar Championship season at Indianapolis punctuated a solid showing for the Porsche ace.
34 – Lochie Dalton
Lochie Dalton finished second in this year’s Super2 Series, at times matching and beating eventual champion Rylan Gray.
A slow start to the season hurt Dalton’s hopes of winning the title, but was a match for Gray from the third round on.
Dalton finished second in the standings, winning the most pole positions of any driver.
33 – Jaxon Evans
If not for a penalty after the final race of the season, Jaxon Evans would have been this year’s GT World Challenge Australia winner. Had he clinched the crown, his place in this list would have been much higher.
The 2025 season was a bruising season for Evans, professionally and personally. His GT3 efforts were in stark contrast to his Supercars program, finishing second-to-last – a result not representative of his ability.
Evans has an opportunity to rebuild his Supercars career in 2026 with Walkinshaw Andretti United, and a full-time return isn’t out of the question.
32 – Dylan O’Keeffe
Dylan O’Keeffe has always been there, or thereabouts in Carrera Cup Australia. Finally, in 2025, he won Australia’s toughest one-make series.
O’Keeffe rose to a new level this year, finishing no lower than third in nine of the first 10 races.
When Harri Jones faltered, he made the most of his rival’s issues and focused on finishing to bag the invaluable points.
31 – Hunter McElrea
IMSA remains one of the toughest sports car and GT championships in the world – and LMP2 is arguably the hardest of all.
Wins at eight-hour Indianapolis Battle on the Bricks and Road Atlanta for 10-hour-long Petit Le Mans were the highlight of McElrea’s season, in which he helped steer TDS Racing to the Endurance Cup crown.
Although McElrea still harbours IndyCar ambitions, he has the makings of becoming one of New Zealand’s top sports car racers.
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