ALEX DENNING SECURES IRISH YOUNG DRIVER OF THE YEAR AWARD

QUAIFE MINI CHALLENGE front-runner Alex Denning has ended his season on a high after being named the winner of the Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of the Year award.

Denning enjoyed a stunning campaign in the JCW class in 2022, wrapping up the Rookie Cup title with relative ease and grabbing seven overall wins – three more than any other driver.

Those seven wins, which all came in the second half of the season, allowed the Graves Motorsport driver to rocket up the championship standings to end the year as runner-up to title winner Sam Weller.

Denning was one of two MINI CHALLENGE drivers to make the final three in the running for the Motorsport Ireland award, with Jack Byrne – Rookie Cup winner in the Cooper class – also on the shortlist along with TCR UK racer Max Hart.

As well as lifting the historic Sexton Trophy, Denning takes home a €50,000 support package to help develop his career into the 2023 season.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to win the Motorsport Ireland Young Driver of The Year award,” he said. “This has been a childhood dream, and to make it a reality is simply extraordinary.

“A huge thank you to Graves Motorsport and also to the MINI CHALLENGE for providing me with the ultimate platform to show my talent to Motorsport Ireland, and to all my corporate partners, family and friends for their support and guidance all the way through.”