Maguire and McGovern secure wildcard Sexton Trophy nominations for 2024

David Maguire and Sean McGovern have been announced as the two wildcard nominations for the 2024 Sexton Trophy Young Racing Driver of the Year award.

David Maguire, 23, from Rathgar Co. Dublin has been prominent in the Fiesta Zetec Championship in 2024, taking three race wins over the course of the season, as well as setting two lap records.

David finished the Fiesta Zetec Championship in third place, after some poor luck in the final round put him out of contention for the coveted title.

He also took part in the recent 6-hour Fiesta Endurance Race at Mondello Park, where his team lead the race at the half way point, but a miscalculation with their fuel saw them drop to fifth place at the finish.

Commenting on his nomination David said; “It is an honour to be nominated for such a prestigious award. I didn’t expect it to be honest, but it is a good surprise to get!”

When asked about his plans for next year, David said: “We are looking at a few different things at the moment both home and abroad. Obviously sponsorship plays a major role in what we do, so we are just keeping all our options open at the moment.”

23-year-old David Maguire takes one of two wildcard nominations for the 2024 Sexton Trophy Young Racing Driver of the Year award.

19-year-old Sean McGovern from Dublin also raced in the Fiesta Zetec Championship in 2024, and went one better than David, finishing second in the championship standings.

Sean has also won the Hawthorn Trophy for 2024, an award first presented in 1959 by the Irish Dunlop Company to commemorate the memory of former Formula One Champion, Mike Hawthorn.

Sean took three race wins over the course of the 2024 Fiesta Zetec Championship.

Following his nomination Sean said; “The 2024 season went great, with many ups and downs, but overall, it was a strong performance against previous champions in the class. There were many positives to take home, with multiple pole positions and back-to-back victories. Unfortunately, the closing round didn’t go in my favour, but it was a brilliant race that I’ll never forget.”

“The six-hour endurance race was also an unforgettable event, and I was thrilled to compete against many professionals and past winners of the prestigious Sexton Trophy. I’m absolutely delighted to be nominated and wish all the other nominees the very best of luck.”

19-year-old Sean McGovern will hope to top off a great season with the Sexton Trophy on December 4th.

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 receives a €50,000 support package to help develop their motor racing career The winner will be selected by a panel of esteemed judges and will be announced at the annual Motorsport Ireland Champions of Irish Motorsport Awards on Wednesday, December 4th.

The awards lunch will be live streamed to the Motorsport Ireland website, motorsportireland.com.