Motorsport: Eric Thompson - Gazing into my crystal ball

Brendon Hartley is heading for another big year in Formula One. Photo / Getty Images

Those who have persevered with reading my various missives over the past decade or so will know I'm not one to sit on the fence, hedge my bets or take the soft, safe option. Staying in character, I'm going to make a few predictions about what we might see for the Kiwis racing internationally in 2018.

The first image to leap out from the crystal ball is of Scott McLaughlin winning the Supercars title. This is not a hard one. The young bloke had more wins and poles than anyone else in 2017 and he gave the championship away all on his own; nobody won it from him.

Of course the next biggie is how is Brendon Hartley going to go in the 2018 F1 championship? I'm not even going to say "if the Honda engine is any good, bla, bla, bla" because it will be, and Hartley is one of the best development drivers money can buy. Toro Rosso's team manager is fellow Kiwi Graham Watson, who just so happens to have worked with the Honda head race engineer in the past.

Therefore, after checking the runes I say Hartley will at some stage get a top five finish if not on the podium at least once in 2018.

Porsche pilot Earl Bamber will have another stellar year this time in the American IMSA championship. Last year he won the Le Mans 24 Hour and the World Endurance Championship with his best mate Hartley and good friend Timo Bernhard. By winning the WEC Bamber has now won the overall title in every full championship he has contested with Porsche.

In racing parlance you can be a bold racer or an old racer, but never both. At 37 Scott Dixon may not be old in the bigger scheme of things, but for a racer it's leaning towards the upper end. This Kiwi makes the previous old/bold statement redundant and anyone who has followed his IndyCar career knows that as well. Dixon has been in the hunt for a title right to the end every year since 2006. If it hadn't been for a massive crash at the Indianapolis 500, and then being taken out at the following event, Dixon would have won his fifth championship. Having read the entrails, I foresee the Kiwi finally getting that fifth title.

Of course we can't forget Courtney Duncan. She's the best woman motocross rider since fellow Kiwi and two-time women's world champion Katherine Oberlin-Brown nee Prumm and has had two Women's World Motocross series to forget. Both were hampered by injury while leading the series. This year (assuming she has another tilt) I predict Duncan will finally be crowned world champion.

Five New Zealanders are in the Toyota Racing Series that starts this weekend at Ruapuna. This series has seen a number of its graduates make it all the way to the top in motor racing — F1. In fact, the very first TRS race winner was Hartley (2005), who has probably taken one of the most circuitous routes to F1, but he finally made it.

For the first time in a number of seasons the favourite is a New Zealander. Marcus Armstrong arrives back home after a year at the Ferrari Drivers Academy winning the Italian F4 championship and also clinching the runner up spot in the German F4 series.

I can well recommend any motorsport fan finding time to make it to a race near them to watch some pretty cool race action and possibly a future F1 star up close and personal.