Filipino driver Marlon Stockinger has put the Philippine flag back on the global motorsports map by finishing second in the opening race of the 2012 GP3 Series this weekend at the Circuit de Catalunya in Spain. The two 16-lap GP3 races on Saturday and Sunday served as support events to the Spanish Formula 1 Grand Prix.
Stockinger, driving Car No. 14 for Status Grand Prix, qualified fifth for the first race. He made the most of the opportunity by finishing just 2.6 seconds behind winner Mitch Evans (New Zealand) of MW Arden. Stockinger scored 18 points for the effort, seven points off Evans.
For the second race the following day, however, Stockinger failed to score a single point as he wound up in 19th place. The GP3 Series has a different format compared to Formula 1 in that the second race of every two-race round follows a reverse grid order for the top eight finishers of the first race. Which meant Stockinger had to start the second race in seventh. US driver Conor Daly, who finished sixth in the first race, won the second race after starting third on the grid. First-race winner Evans likewise failed to score a point in the second race.
"Coming from Asia, it's a lot more diffirent than coming from Europe to settle into everything," Stockinger said during the press conference. "I think I am with a better team now, and I think when all these cards come into play, the results improve. I think winter testing went well and we were very consistent."
Stockinger is now sixth in the overall championship standings, with the second round scheduled for May 25-26 in Monaco.
The 21-year-old Marlon Stockinger placed 28th overall in the GP3 Series last year. In 2010, he finished eighth overall in Formula Renault UK, improving upon his 25th-position showing in the same series the previous year. In 2008, he was also eighth overall in Formula BMW Pacific while also racing in Formula BMW Europe.
Do you think this signals the start of another wave of world-class Filipino racing drivers?
INFO CREDIT TO :
http://www.topgear.com.ph/news//ph-driver-marlon-stockinger-places-2nd-in-opening-gp3-series-race
Early life
Stöckinger was born in Manila, Philippines. He is the son of a Swiss businessman and racing enthusiast, Tom Stöckinger, and a Filipina woman, Egin San Pedro; he grew up in the Philippines until he was 17, and then went to Europe to pursue a racing career.
Racing career
Early career
Prior to joining the Formula Renault series, Stöckinger won titles and honors from international derbies such as the Formula BMW Pacific 2008 Championships, the Senior Rotax Max World Finals 2007, the Asian Karting Championship 2006, the Junior Rotax Max-World Finals 2005 and the Philippine Shell Super Karting Series 2002. He participated at the 2008 Formula BMW Europe season - the championship's maiden season after the merger of the British and German series - as a guest driver, racing at the Hungaroring (21st and 23rd place), Valencia Street Circuit (15th and 23rd place) and at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps (20th and 21st).
Formula Renault (2009–2010)
Stöckinger made his debut at the UK championship in 2009 at 18 years of age, joining other newcomers including Harry Tincknell, Matias Laine and Will Stevens. He arrived 20th on his debut at Brands Hatch and eventually finished 25th in the championship with 56 points. His best result was an eleventh place at round eight at Oulton Park.
The following season began at Thruxton on April 3, 2010 and will end on October 10 at Brands Hatch, after twenty rounds held in England, and for the first time since 2006, Scotland. After arriving 10th in his first race of the year, the Filipino-Swiss driver was able to finish third at Rockingham Motor Speedway, his best result ever in two seasons. At the Croft Circuit (round 8) he started from pole and finished the race first, becoming the first Filipino to have won a formula race in Europe. The performance was then followed by a second place in the same circuit, behind Lewis Williamson.
GP3 Series (2011–present)
The following year, Stöckinger moved to the GP3 series, where he suited up for Atech GP in the 2011 GP3 Series season.
Going into his second year in the GP3 Series, the Filipino was assessed by Status Grand Prix during their autumn tests. Stöckinger was regularly featured in the Top 5 of the time sheets at Barcelona, Valencia and Jerez tests, and impressed the team with his performances. In February 2012, Stöckinger left Atech GP and signed to join Status Grand Prix for the 2012 GP3 Series season.
INFO CREDIT TO:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marlon_St%C3%B6ckinger
