Marlon Stockinger has collected over a hundred trophies. And once upon a time in his life, he had a collection of Pokemon cards. (Photo by MIGUEL MIRANDA and ANDREW PAMORADA)

MANILA, Philippines — At 19 years old, Filipino-Swiss racer Marlon Stockinger has already determined his destiny – the Formula One.

After finishing eighth place in the Formula Renault UK 2010 last October, making him the first-ever Filipino to win a Formula race in Europe, Marlon will be moving to another series, the GP3 in May.

This will put him closer to his goal to becoming the first Filipino F1 racer.

“I’m basically two levels below F1. I’m in GP3, next is GP2, and then Formula One,” he explains.

“I feel good. It happened really fast now that I think about it. I’m just glad I have the support of my family and everyone to get me this far. We’re really close but then again also quite far. It’s still a long way. Hopefully we can get the results and the championship needed to move up in the racing ladder,” he continues.

Love at first drive
The eldest of three children, Marlon was born and raised in Manila. His father Tom, a racing enthusiast, introduced go-karting to Marlon when he was nine years old, an experience which he consistently descibes as “love at first drive.’’

He began racing professionally when he was 15 years old. By then, he was already champion in various competitions like the Philippine Rotax Max and Asian Karting.

He left for Europe two years ago after getting a Formula BMW Pacific Scholarship, the first Filipino to have been given such. Since then, he triumphed with podium finishes and pole positions at the Formula Renault UK.

“I don’t think I will ever forget that feeling of that first race win,” Marlon says. “I’ll always want to remember it and I always use that as basically my fuel to burn. That’s my motivation. If I could do it then, why can’t I do it another time.”

The road to F1
Marlon has been preparing for this moment for nearly half of his life. And his racing achievements, so far, have kept him determined and motivated in his quest to becoming a full-fledged F1 driver.

“There have been points when you feel like it’s never going to happen, but then again I’ve had certain results that showed me the way and prove to myself and everyone that supports me, it is possible to get there. I guess that keeps you going. It just kept on pushing me,” he says.

And while his team of engineers and mechanics takes care of his car, a GP3 Dallara single-seater chassis with a 2.0-liter turbo-charged Renault engine, Marlon sees to it that he keeps himself fit for the races.

If you have to wear both a heavy helmet and a suit, actually layers upon layers of fire-proof clothing, you really have to be in a pretty good shape. So aside from spending full days on the racetrack four times a week, Marlon also trains for four to five hours a day doing cardiovascular and weight-training routines.

“Normally when we’re on the race track, I wake up as early as 6 a.m. and we end up at about 6 p.m., sometimes even later. That’s how  a day on the race track goes,” he relates.

Given the time constraints that this motor sport has on his life right now, Marlon could not afford to go to a regular school. He’s under a home study program. “I don’t have time for anything else at this point. Despite that though, I’ll be taking up some courses just to keep up with my education. I think it is important still to have something there, a net to fall back on, there’s always education.”

No place like home
Living away from family and friends for most of the year, Marlon always looks forward to coming home.

“Dealing with loneliness and homesickness is the most difficult part. Part of the Filipino culture is you’re used to so many people around you and when you go to another country that’s sort of not the
standard. Just not having my family around, it makes it more difficult. But then I knew I could always come back. I always have a home to go back to. That makes it much easier when I think of that. I think that what’s helped me to get along with the process.”

And aside from getting a few modeling gigs, Marlon is part of CalCarrie’s modeling agency, he also takes time to visit the Carmona racetrack in Laguna to mentor young racers.

“I think I’m pretty good at talking to kids about racing. I think we have the proper tools, all you need is a racetrack. The talents that come out in the Philippines are very well. I think if we grow our future
talents the right way, start to invest in that future, there’s no doubt that we can get some more,” says Marlon, who donates his old helmets and suits to the kids he mentors.

To succeed in motor sport, or in any sport for that matter, Marlon advises to just keep believing and never give up.

“It’s like life, basically. It’s not always a smooth and easy ride. You have your ups and your downs. It’s very difficult to have success all the time. So you have to learn to lose as well. I think that’s part of learning how to win. You encounter some rough patches, you learn to overcome them, and eventually, there is more good, than there is bad. When you keep pushing, when you keep thriving for that win, it will eventually come.”

And beyond fulfilling his dream, or his destiny as he puts it, Marlon’s vision really is to put the Philippines on the racing map. “I want to show that Filipinos can stand out and make their mark in the international racing arena. I carry the flag on my suit, my helmet and my racecar, and I make sure that everyone knows that I’m a Filipino,” he ends.