The stage is set for the biggest solo accolade in Daytona’s repertoire - the Daytona Race of Champions. This invite-only event brings together our fastest, most successful and most decorated racers from 2025: championship winners, endurance race victors, and proven heavy-hitters - all converging for one monumental showdown.

Now in its third year, the Race of Champions has grown year-on-year, and 2025 marks a major milestone. For the first time, the adult categories will be split into three groups, with the day culminating in a C Final, B Final, and a truly star-studded A Final, where just one driver per class will lift the coveted trophy.

In recent years we’ve seen some exceptional champions crowned. Caelen Keith claimed the Cadet title in 2024, followed by Alexander Karazdhov in 2025. Charlie Csepreghi took the Junior crown in 2024, before Tom Justice triumphed last season.

The inaugural SODI title was won by Charlie Fenton, with the highly decorated Andrew Strike lifting the trophy in 2025. In DMAX, Kuba Wozniak claimed the first title, while Dom Balasaitis is the reigning champion of our most prestigious category.

The day begins with a 10-minute practice session for all drivers, followed by three 10-minute heats. Cadets and Juniors will share the circuit, while SODI and DMAX competitors are split into three equally weighted groups for practice and heats. Each driver will start a heat from the front, middle and back third of the grid, accumulating points based on finishing position.

Those points determine final grid positions - and which final you qualify for. Miss out on the A Final? Win your race, and you’ll earn promotion to the back of the grid in the next one.

With nearly 150 competitors and a packed schedule of racing, only four overall winners will be crowned.

Every driver competing is mega-talented, making this event impossible to predict. It won’t just be about raw pace - the smallest details will matter - avoiding unnecessary penalties, extracting performance from the kart, eliminating micro-mistakes… and relying on a little bit of lady luck.

Let’s take a look at some of the favourites...

DMAX Category - 50 competitors

It’s no secret that local knowledge counts at Daytona Milton Keynes – and as Daytona’s Wembley Stadium, it comes with a natural advantage for some. C’est la vie. Here’s who to watch in DMAX:

Brothers Ashley-Mayston King and James King have won just about everything there is to win at Daytona Milton Keynes: the 24 Hours, SuperChamps, every endurance format, Thursday Night League and the DMAX National Championships. This is the one title missing from their collection. James finished runner-up last time and will be desperate to go one better. A big day awaits.

Dom Balasaitis effectively defends his title after a dramatic victory last year. While Milton Keynes is the circuit he grew up on, he raced there sparingly in 2025 - those fine margins could prove decisive.

Adam Hawtin is a newer name at this level but will fancy his chances. He’s raced over 50 times at Milton Keynes this year and recently won Thursday Night League ahead of James King.

The 14-year-old Csepreghi twins are renowned protégés at Milton Keynes. Multiple InKart winners and recent SODI SuperChamps champions, they’ve graduated into DMAX and know this circuit inside-out. Jacob also claimed the Junior title two years ago.

Julia Stankowiak is another proven winner across all three Daytona circuits and delivered dominant performances in this year’s Jamie Chadwick Series. She’s been racing here since she was a Bambino.

Fifteen-year-old Dawid Sniezko continues a strong tradition of emerging Polish-heritage local talent. He pushed James King throughout SuperChamps and TNL this season, finishing just behind him -expect him to feature prominently.

Other local talents likely to contend for an A-Final berth include Daniel Varlan, Frederick Burden, Nathan Boyle, Ross Sandwell and Adam Pughe.

Representing Daytona Tamworth…

Antony Wypych made headlines in 2025 by winning the DMAX National Championships, emerging from relative obscurity. Although Milton Keynes wasn’t his strongest circuit during that campaign, he’s a driver who thrives on big occasions.

Jude Lillyman has gone from strength to strength at Tamworth, balancing karting with commitments at Leicester City’s academy. Fresh from his maiden SuperChamps title, he arrives full of confidence.

Joseph Simcock, a 2025 SuperChamps champion and BIKC winner, recently proved his versatility by winning the Sandown Park 3-Hour Endurance with WPR.

Andrew McWilliam, a former Tamworth employee, kart tester and tutor, is a multiple-time champion with vast experience - and sim-races for Williams’ team.

There’s also a Tamworth triple-threat of Lukes in Luke Dodman, Lucas Gathercole and Luke Mallard, all of whom enjoyed stellar 2025 campaigns.

From Daytona Sandown Park…

Brothers Adam Palmer and Thomas Williams are aiming to replicate KBR’s brotherly success, finishing P1 and P2 in SuperChamps this season while building WPR into an endurance powerhouse. How they fare here will be fascinating.

Jack and Andy O’Neill of Titan Motorsport are Daytona veterans, multiple champions from the 2010s. Jack returned to winning ways in the 2025 DMAX National Championships - an intelligent, lightning-quick driver with huge experience at this circuit.

Alfie Shrubb arrives fresh off his first SuperChamps victory, having comfortably secured the DMAX Heavies title.

SODI - 62 competitors

The biggest category on the grid - expect chaos, carnage and surprises.

Defending champion Andrew Strike is a standout favourite. At 43, he’s showing no signs of slowing down, with over a decade at Daytona and two 24-Hour wins in 2024 alone. He’ll go head-to-head with teammate Scott Clenaghan on Sunday.

Lewis Bowey, newly crowned local SuperChamps champion, renews rivalries with Dominic Fleming and Aston Tempany McColm after a dominant Lightweight season.

Milton Keynes legend Barry Morris remains at the very top of his game, recently adding another SuperChamps title to his collection ahead of long-time rivals Adam Pughe and Charlie Fenton - who, on his day, can beat anyone in a SODI, as he proved when he claimed the R.O.C. title in 2024.

Fourteen-year-old Zoe Cattet is a major prospect after dominating last year’s Jamie Chadwick Series, often winning by huge margins. She’ll be joined by fellow JCS competitors Reyhaneh Abdolrazagh, Milena Clark, Chloe Smith, Amelia Charlesworth, Ruby Grainge, Ella Wroe, Clara Norris and Lilia Scatchard, alongside Inters champion Chloe McNally.

Other champions to watch include Tom Justice, Freddie Jenkins, Sandown Park’s Ryan Bentley and Leger Dimitriou, and Tamworth’s Harry Fitch and Brandon Barker.

Juniors - 17 drivers

Reigning local InKart champion Arel Kesimgil will be confident, but Season One champion Jacob Kent could stand in his way. Kent finished runner-up last year and will be desperate to go one better.

Rayaan Malik and Jacob Noble have both been fierce InKart competitors at Milton Keynes and arrive with strong credentials, as does Nathaniel Garai who finished in fourth in the championship.

Local knowledge also benefits James West, Harry Fenton, Reuben Crudington, Jonothan Mierzwa and Eduard Dorofte.

From Tamworth, runaway Junior champion Zachary Smith has the talent and local experience to win, with Season One champion Reuben Potter close behind. Alfie Kells is another Tamworth contender to watch.

Representing Sandown Park are Daniel Marutyak, Daniel Harman, Rafael Beattie-McKerrow and Jack Candasamy, while Tilly Watson and Megan Gascoyne fly the flag for the Jamie Chadwick Series.

Cadets - 14 drivers

Our youngest competitors – and arguably the hardest category to call.

Double InKart champion Gillen Townshend finished third last year, but InKart rivals Leo Sibthorpe, Jack Dowding and Charlie Marden will be hungry to overturn him. Ryan Cafferkey and Teddy Mullan could also spring a surprise in a Milton Keynes-heavy grid.

Freya Lally is a fascinating contender. A double Tamworth InKart champion and January Driver of the Month, she also won a Jamie Chadwick Series round here last year and was part of an endurance team that beat many of these rivals on home soil.

Fellow JCS racer Alicia Waterhouse finished the season strongly, securing a final championship podium step - her trademark consistency could be key on Sunday.

From Sandown Park we have Hadi Chaudry, reigning Cadet InKart champion, along with Ethan Davis, Frank Mehlberg and Thomas Volante. Tamworth is also represented by Cristiano Guedes and Rhys Onions.

Whatever happens, we’ll be bringing you every twist and turn via the live feed on our website throughout the day.

Expect the unexpected. Heroes will be made, and champions will be crowned.

There is no Daytona race bigger than this one.