Seven Sexton Trophy Young Racing Driver of the Year Award Nominees Named
The 2022 Sexton Trophy Young Racing Driver of the Year award nominees have been chosen. Hailing from all parts of Ireland, the seven finalists represent the best up-and-coming talent in circuit racing.
The seven nominees are:
Lucca Allen
Jack Byrne
Kayleigh Cole
Alex Denning
Donal Downey
Max Hart
Morgan Quinn
Lucca Allen (19) from Shangarry, Co. Cork will be flying back from a weekend in Paul Ricard for the Michelin Le Mans Cup for his interview. The globe-trotting South East-Asia Formula 4 champion is no stranger to flying both on and off the track.
Co. Wexford’s Jack Byrne (19) was a finalist for this award in 2021 and his hoping that his MINI Challenge UK Trophy Class campaign throughout 2022 will have shown he has what it takes to go one step higher this year.
Kayleigh Cole (19) is currently enjoying a pair of test drives with Porsche GB after impressive outings in back-to-back years the UK F1000 series, including being crowned rookie champion in 2021.
Alex Denning (23) of Rathfarnham, Co. Dublin was the 2020 Fiesta ST Champion before heading to the UK to race to the front of the Mini JCW Championship Rookie Cup in front of 30 other competitors.
From the heart of the country in Kildare comes Donal Downey (20) who enjoyed a pair of campaigns in the VW Spares Formula Vee Championship, where he finished first, and the Selco National Formula Vee Championship where he came home third.
Max Hart (21) from Co. Wicklow is another of this year’s nominees who were finalists in 2021 for the award. Multiple wins in successful years in the TCR UK series have landed Hart on everyone’s radar.
The final nominee is Formula Ford and Ginetta driver Morgan Quinn (22). Aside from helping Team Ireland win the World Cup at the FF1600 Festival, Quinn currently leads the United Formula Ford Series.
After succeeding in the previous rounds of notable on-track success and written applications, the seven nominees will undertake a formal interview process next week with a panel of judges representing Motorsport Ireland, Sport Ireland, the Motorsport Ireland Race Commission and members of the media.
The Motorsport Ireland Young Racing Driver of the Year award and the historic Sexton Trophy are presented to the individual who has demonstrated the most potential to represent Ireland at home and internationally both on the track as well as in the public eye. The winner will receive a €50,000 support package to help develop their motor racing career.
The overall winner of the 2022 award will be announced on 7 December at the Crowne Hotel Plaza in Santry. The award is presented annually and is supported by Sport Ireland and Motorsport Ireland.