WTAC 2025: One For The Books

If you’ve never been to Sydney Motorsport Park for World Time Attack Challenge (WTAC), here’s the quick version: it’s not wheel-to-wheel racing, it’s one-car-at-a-time, chasing the fastest lap possible.

That’s time attack in a nutshell; ultimate speed against the clock. The cars competing range from grassroots builds to million-dollar monsters, all trying to shave off tenths of a second, lap after lap. WTAC is the biggest stage in the world for it, with teams flying in from across the globe, and it’s just as much about the wild builds and pit lane energy as it is about the lap times.

WTAC 2025 was one of those weekends where literally anything could happen – and often did. Sydney Motorsport Park was buzzing with speed, smoke, and the occasional “oh no” moment.

Cameron McLeod had a rough moment. In MCA Suspension’s Toyota 86, a rear wing mount gave way at turn one, sending him spinning through the grass and into the wall – backwards. He walked away completely fine, and while the car couldn’t continue the weekend’s charge, it wasn’t completely wrecked; a reminder of how quickly things can go sideways at WTAC.

Dream Project’s S15 had its own drama. Gearbox gremlins, bouts with limp mode and a dodgy injector tried to ruin the weekend, but Robert Nguyen kept it together and threw down a lap time of 1:22.286 in the Shootout. It wasn’t pretty, but it was gutsy – and that’s what makes WTAC weekends memorable.

JET200 was the ultimate underdog story. Five days before WTAC, the team was still piecing the engine together at Redsun Motorsport. No fancy budget, no factory support – just mates, spanners, and determination. They still pulled third place in the GCG Turbos Open Class.

BYP Racing almost pulled out entirely, but Jimmy Tran ran solo in the Honda Integra ‘DC2R’, keeping it clean to snag fourth with a 1:30.5. Pro Speed Racing’s BRZ barely got any practice, but Shaun Atherton still managed a 1:41.2 in the Top 5 Shootout. Scura Motorsports? Coolant leaks ended their run. Rough weekends all around.

Surprise entries kept things spicy. BSM Motorsports rolled out Brad Moody in an Alfa Romeo 4C. It wasn’t the loudest car on the grid, but it looked sharp and added a fresh twist to the paddock’s JDM vibe.

The drifting delivered all of the chaos you’d expect. Jason Ferron’s new R31 Nissan Skyline wagon barely had any testing yet still claimed second place. Matt Harvey took the win, Naoki Nakamura finished third, but unfortunately, Mad Mike Whiddett and Sam Tabbouch were sidelined by mechanical gremlins.

The “Yeah The Girls!” all-female drift showcase was a total highlight, and all of the drivers deserve a mention. 

Catherine “Driftcat” Coleiro, Miji Kang, Christina Vithoulkas, Kim “Driftmama” Thorley, Yuura Momo, Mercury “Mercurial Mouse” Lien, Caroline Kadziela, and Denver Silvias all got laps in, ripping full-track demos and showing the crowd exactly why women are such a force in drifting. High energy, lots of smoke, and some seriously stylish sideways action.

At the sharp end of time attack, Todd Hazelwood was untouchable in Tanuki Racing’s Nissan Silvia S13, managing a 1:18.169 lap to top the Emtron Pro Class. Dream Project’s S15 claimed Pro Open, narrowly ahead of Alex Rullo’s Lamborghini Gallardo and Tim Slade in the Xtreme GT-R. Feras Qartoumy took Pro-Am in his Corvette.

And the Hypercar Challenge? Pure chaos in the best way. Four track-only hypercars – the Pagani Zonda R and Huayra R, Ferrari FXX, and a Brabham BT62 – all pushed Sydney Motorsport Park to its limits. James Golding in the Brabham clocked a 1:25.213, proving that these monsters aren’t just for show; they can put great times on the board.

WTAC 2025 reminded everyone why this event stands out. From privateers and underdogs to pro teams, sideways legends and million-dollar hypercars, there was something happening in every corner of the paddock. Broken parts, big laps, sideways smoke – two days of pure, unfiltered automotive madness.