Denning relishing exciting new chapter in motorsport career
ALEX Denning’s motorsport career will take him to England for the coming season after he, last week, penned a deal with Graves Motorsport to compete in the JCW class of the Mini Challenge UK.
The 22-year-old driver from Rathfarnham, was afforded a taste of Mini Challenge racing last year when he lined out in a one-off round, and despite having limited track time, he managed to qualify 10th and card a best finish of 11th in the final race of the weekend.
Now poised to contest a full campaign that comprises of 20 races spread out over seven weekends, Denning will link up with new team mates Max Coates and 2020 Cooper Class champion, Harry Nunn, ahead of the start to the 2022 series in Donnington Park on April 16/17.
And the Dubliner is relishing the exciting new challenge which will take him to iconic British motorsport venues such as Silverstone, Brands Hatch and Donnington Park between April and October of this year.
“It’s a massive opportunity” Denning told The Echo. “All the races will be televised live on ITV 4 and there’s a cumulative audience in the UK alone of 20 million. At each weekend, there’s a massive spectator audience of 30-40 thousand people. That’s some exposure.
“JCW is the highest class out of all mini racing and that supports the British Touring Cars, which is the pinnacle of motorsport in the UK.
“England is probably the most competitive country in the world for motorsport. I had won in Ireland and I felt it was time to move on to something bigger.
“I met the team on Wednesday [last week]. They’re based in Colchester and I got on really well with them and signed an official deal” he explained.
The move into Mini Challenge UK is the latest step in a career that has seen Denning already enjoy his share of success, and the young competitor harbours aspirations of one day competing in the British or World Touring Cars himself.
“I started off racing karts at the age of eight and raced in that for 11 years, nationally and internationally” he recalled.
“Probably my biggest achievement was winning the Irish Fiesta ST Championship in 2020.
“Last year I was weighing up my options and I did one race in the Mini Challenge in the UK. I also did one weekend in the SEAT Supercup Ireland and I won in the first weekend out in that.
“But, after doing the Minis last year, I found the car was fantastic, the whole package was fantastic. That made my decision for this year very easy and I’d like to thank all my sponsors for their continued support into 2022.
“My goal is to be in either British Touring Cars, World Touring Cars or GT Racing by 2024, but I’m really looking forward to this next challenge and getting out practising and testing come March when the weather is a little better” he added.
Given his family’s background in Irish motorsport, it is little wonder that Denning found himself behind the wheel at a young age.
“My father, Liam Denning, raced for 15 years, and was a five-time winner of the Irish FIAT Abarth Championship” he said.
“My mother, Alison, competed alongside my dad for ten years and my brother, Darragh, raced alongside me up until about five years ago, so my family have been heavily involved in motorsport.”
