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 – September 2011
Congratulations to 17 year-old Sean Doyle from Wicklow town, who has been selected as the Dunlop Young Racing Driver of the Month for September.
Sean had a terrific season, scoring five wins during the year at Mondello Park, Kirkistown and Anglesey in Wales, backed up by a series of 2nd and 3rd places to give him eleven podium finishes from thirteen races. This leaves him in runner-up position in the closely contested Ginetta Junior championship, just three points behind the winner.
The Wicklow teenager, who began his motor sport career in Junior Rallycross in the 2009/10 season, hopes to move into the Global Lights class next year and would like to progress to the British Touring Car Championship in the future. He is delighted that his second place in the Junior Championship has also brought him a prize of a test drive in a later version Ginetta G40 at a British circuit in the near future.
He very much appreciates the support of his family during the year, and the assistance of ABR Sports, who prepared and ran his car.
Sean is sponsored by Truly Scrumptious, Mizzoni Pizza Company and Halpin's Cafe from Wicklow, and by Leon Recycling and Rolson Tools.
He attends Colaiste Raithin in Bray, where he is in 6th year, and hopes to study Motorsport Engineering at Swansea University after sitting his Leaving Cert next summer.
Sean is the sixth and final Dunlop Driver of the Month for 2011, and 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.