MAXWELL SCOOPS ANOTHER BIG AWARD
The World Hot Rod champ Adam Maxwell claimed the title of Hot Rod driver of the year at the Autosport Show in Birmingham, writes
Matt James.
The prize, which is voted for by drivers and fans, was part of a raft of accolades given out to reflect the 2016 campaign ( see table, right).
The Crumlin driver, who won the 75-lap World Final at Ipswich in July, says he was bowled over by the award.
“It has been a whirlwind in the last few months since winning the World Final,” says Maxwell, who won a trip to race in South Africa as part of his prize for lifting the title. “As soon as I took the World Final, my plan was to try and be the best ambassador I could for National Hot Rods. I loved going to South Africa, and being able to take a podium out there was a special feeling. To be voted as the driver of the year is the perfect way to cap 2016, which has definitely been my best year in racing.”
Since lifting the big prize, the Northern Irishman has been true to his plan to exploit his time with the gold roof that he earned in July.
He has been over to the mainland to take part in the National Championship meeting at Hednesford Hills in early August, and has returned since to race in Scotland and at a points-scoring meeting at Ipswich as well as the last-ever Best in Britain meeting at Wimbledon in November.
Maxwell was on the podium at Foxhall Heath, and finished second in the bumper-crunching Best in Britain.
“I know there is a responsibility carrying the gold roof, and I wanted to live up to that, which is why I have tried my best to get to as many meetings as I could in England and I did one in Scotland too,” says Maxwell. “I will carry on doing that in 2017 too – I am seeing which meetings I can get to in England this year.”
The National Hot Rod calendar is split across the winter, with the opening part from July through to October in 2016 and the second period, in the build up to the all-important World Final, starting in March.
After taking the biggest trophy of all last season, Maxwell knows that he will have his work cut out to retain the crown in 2017, but he has already put plans in place to up his game for the new challenge.
He is currently topping the Northern Irish points (the top nine drivers earn a slot in the World Final in July) and is destined to return to Suffolk. “Winning it again is going to be really hard work, because I will be the man out there to beat,” says Maxwell. “We have a new car coming. It will be another Vauxhall Tigra and it is stripped back to the bare bodyshell at the moment and we will work to get that ready and test it before the World Final.
“National Hot Rods is so competitive and there are so many fast cars out there that you can not guarantee that you will be at the front when it comes to the big meetings, but we will be trying our best. All I can do is work as hard as I can getting the new car ready and we will take it from there.” ■