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 – August 2011
Gary Thompson from Donabate, Co Dublin has been selected as the Dunlop Young Racing Driver of the Month for August, the third year in a row that he has joined the shortlist for the Young Driver of the Year Award.
The 19 year-old dominated the second of the Japanese Formula 3 National Championship races at Motegi on August 7th, also setting the fastest lap, after tyre changing problems in race one, when torrential rain drenched the circuit, left him down the field. Three weeks later, at Okayama, he finished third and fourth, leaving him in fourth position in the championship points table.
He will complete his championship season this weekend (September 24/25) at Sugo, where the final three rounds of the series will be held. Gary hopes to drive in the world famous Macau Grand Prix in November and to continue in the Japanese Formula 3 series next year, as the Far East offers tremendous opportunities for young drivers.
Gary, who is sponsored by SG Changi, Aviation Display, BAM Motorsports and Cebu Pacific Air, began racing karts at the age of 9, in 2002, and finished third in the British Super 1 JICA Championship in 2007. In 2009, he was runner up in the Formula BMW Pacific Championship and won the Rookie Cup in that series.
Having been selected as the fifth Dunlop Driver of the Month for the 2011 season, Gary 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.