Dunlop Sexton Trophy-The Young Racing Driver of the Year(View Previous Winners)
The 2011 Winner of the Dunlop Sexton Trophy for the Young Racing Driver of the Year is Dubliner, Aron Smith.
Aron, who won Young Racing Driver of the Month for April, had all of his success in the UK in 2011, as he competed in the Air Asia Clio Cup. The 22-year-old competed in all rounds, with three wins and nine podium finishes to his name as he finished runner-up in the Championship. He also competed in a round of the British Touring Car Championship at Knockhill, where he scored a point on his debut.
The other two of the TOP THREE FINALISTS for the award were:
Niall Murray
Andy O’Brien
Niall Murray, Young Racing Driver of the Month for June, made big strides in the UK Ginetta Junior Championship in 2011. The 16-year-old, who won the Irish Championship last year, competed in the UK version this year securing two wins along with eight podium finishes, including a victory at Brands Hatch.
Andy O’Brien, who won the Young Racing Driver of the Month for July. O’Brien only started competing in motorsport in 2010 when he finished second in the Irish Ginetta Junior Championship in his debut season. This year he went one better, winning the Ginetta Junior Championship with 10 podium finishes, eight fastest laps and five pole positions.
The six contenders for the award, The Young Racing Drivers of the Month, were:
April – Aron Smith, from Dublin
May – Kevin O’Hara, from Kildare
June – Niall Murray, from Dublin
July – Andy O’Brien, from Dublin
August – Gary Thompson, from Dublin
September – Sean Doyle, from Wicklow
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Young Racing Driver of the Month – July 2011
Andy O’Brien from Dublin has been selected as the Dunlop Young Racing Driver of the Month for July, the second time in his short, twelve month motor racing career that he has received this accolade.
The 17 year-old from Templeogue scored a win and a second place at Mondello Park on July 24, also setting the fastest lap in both races, breaking the class lap record each time. Earlier this year, he had victories at Mondello and at Anglesey, in Wales, as well as two second places at Kirkistown and a fourth at Anglesey. He is currently the fastest driver in the Ginetta Junior class, having set the fastest lap in each of the last three races.
This leaves him third in the Ginetta Junior Ireland Championship at the moment, but when dropped scores are taken into account, he is in the strongest position to take the title, as each driver must drop their two worst scores from the thirteen races. Andy intends to complete the season in this class, and would like to race in Britain next year.
He is sponsored by Atlas Auto Services, Borza Takeaway Group, D'Arcy McGees Pub & Restaurant, Auto Tranz Gearbox Specialists, Top Oil and Captain America’s.
Andy attended St MacDara’s Community College, where he sat his Leaving Certificate examinations in June, finishing his last exam on a Friday afternoon and travelling directly to the Holyhead ferry on his way to Anglesey to race, the next morning ! He hopes to begin an apprenticeship as a car mechanic when he receives his Leaving Cert results.
Having been selected as the fourth Dunlop Driver of the Month for the 2011 season, Andy is now a contender for the prestigious €50,000 Dunlop Motorsport Ireland Young Racing Driver of the Year Award. This award is presented annually and is sponsored by Dunlop, the Irish Sports Council and Motorsport Ireland.