Shane van Gisbergen led the way during a motorsport year which saw several drivers enjoy their best campaigns or take their careers to the next level.
And 2023 could be even better for some, including van Gisbergen, despite a stellar season which saw him claim a third Supercars championship —winning a record 21 of the 34 races, including Bathurst — and also finish on the podium at the New Zealand round of the World Rally Championship.
Underlining his ability, van Gisbergen was this week ranked 10th among the world’s top 50 drivers by Autosport.
He slotted in behind Lando Norris (Formula 1), Will Power (IndyCar), Josef Newgarden (IndyCar), Stoffel Vandoorne (Formula E), George Russell (F1), Lewis Hamilton (F1), Kalle Rovenpera (WRC), Charles LeClerc (F1) and Max Verstappen (F1) at No 1.
Other Kiwis on the Autosport list included Mitch Evans (12), Scott Dixon (17), Brendon Hartley (22) and Scott McLaughlin (28).
Van Gisbergen is looking forward to the challenge of testing the new Gen3 Supercar that will debut in March but has yet to commit to another season of Supercars.
The 33-year-old has always stated that he’s not all about winning, more the challenge of getting better, and he hopes the Gen3 car will produce great contests on the track. Testing for the new car was due this month but has been pushed back to January.
Van Gisbergen looks set to continue racing rally cars and GTs, and may even make a Nascar cameo in 2023.
Two big changes in categories loom next year for former F2 racers Liam Lawson and Marcus Armstrong.
Lawson is heading to Japan to contest the highly competitive Super Formula, where Eddie Irvine, Ralf Schumacher and Pierre Gasly cut their teeth, while also remaining F1 reserve driver for Red Bull and Alpha Tauri.
The 20-year-old will be looking to emulate compatriot Nick Cassidy, who won the Super Formula championship in 2019.
Armstrong is heading to the United States to drive for Chip Ganassi Racing in IndyCar, becoming the third Kiwi in the series alongside McLaughlin and Dixon, who will be targeting his seventh title.
Armstrong tested with Dale Coyne Racing earlier in the year and impressed with his raw speed. To his surprise, he was snapped up by Ganassi and will race the road and street courses, giving the ovals a miss for at least 2023.
Marcus Armstrong in the garage during practice in Abu Dhabi. Photo / Getty
Also looking to race in IndyCar at some stage are Hunter McElrea in Indy Lights, along with Billy Frazer and Jacob Douglas in the Road to Indy series.
While Courtney Duncan didn’t win her fourth straight world WMX championship due to injury, she again proved her prowess by winning three of the season’s last four races on her return (and finishing second in the fourth).
The 26-year-old is back to full fitness and won all three of the senior women’s races at Cambridge in October. She’s now looking forward to heading back to Europe for the 2023 world championships.
There are high hopes former Super2 driver Matthew Payne will successfully make the step up to the top Supercars category with Grove Racing. He’s a proven winner in Super2 and finished the 2022 season third.
Louis Sharp showed he may be a single seater star in the making. Racing in the British F4 series, the 15-year-old recorded two wins and a further 10 podiums to finish the year fourth, despite missing the opening round.
He has been re-signed by the Carlin team for a full season in 2023 and looks a title contender.
