Some of the brightest talents in the motorsport world come out of Australia and New Zealand and particularly in Karting. We are going to shine some spotlight on who we believe are the top 20 karting drivers from the region in 2025.

20 – Jye Flynn

The young Queenslander has been a standout performer in his final year of Junior competition. After a sub-par start to the year Flynn would charge to four AKC podiums in a row including a win at the final round in KA2. Throw in three state titles across KA2 and KA3 Junior, Jye Flynn was an exciting one to watch in 2025.

19 – Jace Mathews

As it has been for many years now Jace Mathews was a forced to be reckoned with across all of the direct drive senior classes. 2025 was a season that included dual victories at both the Victorian and Queensland State Titles, victory in the Rotax Cup to win a ticket to the Rotax World Final in Bahrain, victory in the Stars of Karting event and a third place finish at the Australian Kart Championship. For Jace it wasn’t his most successful year but still an outstanding effort for a guy that was undergoing surgery on his left foot just weeks before the start of the season.

18 – Kip Foster

One that many wouldn’t expect to be on this list is Kip Foster. A legend of Australian Karting, Kip only competed in one AKC event this year but his two international trips saw him score big. The West Aussie once again headed to Vegas to try his luck. Not only would be shine but he would score his TENTH SuperNats podium with third in KA100 Masters. Not long later he would head to Macau to compete against two of the worlds best masters drivers in Davide Fore and Luke Armstrong. Kip would make a last lap move to take victory and be crowned at the IAME Asia X30 Masters champion.

17 – Zach Tucker

The first Kiwi on the list and a reigning World Champion. Whilst Zach Tucker didn’t stand on an AKC podium this year the youngster would take home third the the KA3 Junior Championship out of sheer consistency. His crowning moment though came on a November day in Malaysia where he would be crowned the first ever FIA Arrive and Drive World Champion on debut in the senior category.

16 – Harrison Hoey

Whilst it wasn’t a third TAG125 Championship on the bounce for Harrison Hoey it was still a very good year. Two AKC podiums and second in the championship, along with victory at the Rotax Cup in DD2 and a mightily impressive top five run at the Rotax World Final before disaster struck in the Final. This was all placed around Hoey’s departure from Parolin and 6868 Motorsport to start his own team. The Queenslander would win both the New South Wales and South Australian State titles in his first two starts for his own team. He is sure to come back swinging in 2026

15 – Will Thompson

Will Thompson killed it in 2025. TAG125 and KA3 Senior Golden Power Series Victory, City of Melbourne Victory in one of the most entertaining karting races all year, three AKC Podiums including two wins and third in the championship, Australasian Champion, three State Championships, and victory at the GKCV Enduro to cap it all off. Whilst many expect him to make the jump up to car racing in 2026 it would be great to see him stay around in karting for another crack at the Australian Title.

14 – Sebastian Eskandari-Mirandi

The Queenslander who spent most of his 2025 in Europe was one of Australia’s leading talents on the international stage. Sebastian would have ups and downs throughout his year that included many top five results at FIA and WSK events. His season was highlighted by an outstanding run at the European Championship in Denmark that saw him start the final from pole position. The youngster has been seen testing Formula Ford and other circuit cars so it it uncertain on if he will return to the international karting scene in 2026.

13 – Milan Sami

Now this was dominance. The first driver in history to win all five rounds of the Australian Kart Championship on his way to championship glory. The young Victorian dominated Cadet 9 throughout 2025 adding a City of Melbourne Victory to his list also. With Milan expected to move up into the ultra competitive Cadet 12 field for 2026 it will be exciting to see how he progresses.

12 – Braxton Regan

Braxton Regan would take home the Australian Championship in his first crack at KA3 Junior. Three podiums including two victories at either end of the season along side a Victorian State Championship made for a great year for the youngster. Cameos at the World Championship in Sweden and SuperNats in Las Vegas didn’t provide great results but it is never easy in your first international hit outs.

11 – Christian Estasy

Five AKC Podiums including a victory at Round 1 saw Christian Estasy take the KA3 Senior Australian Championship. Whilst his results where up and down across other major events when it mattered the Rush Performance driver delivered. With the new rules in place around not being able to compete again in KA3 Senior the following year after a series victory seeing where Estasy lands for 2026 will be exciting.

Stay tuned for the second part of the Speedcafe Karting Driver of the Year at 6pm December 31.