A teenage Irish Circuit Racing Champion from County Armagh is hoping his recent win will encourage neurodiversity within the sport.
Seventeen-year-old Travis Mawhinney, from Richhill, recently picked up 1st place at the 2025 Irish Championship Circuit Racing (ICCR) Junior Mini Challenge Scholarship at Mondello Park, Co. Kildare, at the end of January.
A huge motorsports fan from a young age, the past pupil of the Hardy Memorial Primary School and Markethill High School started sim racing and joined a number of F1 e-Sports teams around the age of 12.
Around the age of 14, he started participating in scholarships, competing in the Ginetta Junior and the Mini Challenge UK series, performing well in both events.
This coming season will be his first in competitive racing and a fantastic opportunity for him.
However, when the ambitious young racer was just four years old, he was diagnosed with autism and faced a number of challenges associated with his diagnosis, including significant speech and language delay.
Today – as a current Irish Champion – he hopes to use this amazing opportunity to encourage neurodiversity in the motorsports industry, all while studying towards his A-Levels at the Royal School Armagh.
Travis says of his win: “I am honoured to be competing in the ICCR Junior Mini Challenge championship this season and am delighted to be working with POB Racing.
“I was overwhelmed and shocked when my name was announced as the winner.
“I had my first test day recently at Mondello Park, the car drove brilliantly, and I put in really good, consistent lap times for my first time driving the car.
“I’m excited and looking forward to the start of the season.”
The ICCR Junior Mini Challenge Scholarship was open to drivers aged 14–17 years old.
Travis competed against approximately 20 other participants on the day, completing three assessments, including media, sim driving, and a driving assessment with an instructor.
As the 2025 scholarship winner, Travis gets to drive a double championship-winning Mini for the racing season.
Travis is currently seeking sponsorship for the 2025 racing season, which runs from April to October (four dates at Mondello Park and two dates at Kirkistown).
The ICCR Mini Challenge will be heavily promoted across all media channels, with plenty of coverage on social media.
If any local businesses are interested in sponsoring Travis please email him at travissm08@gmail.com alternatively if anyone would like to make a donation Travis also has a GoFundMe page which can be found here.
