Stockinger gains strong finishes in Brands Hatch

MANILA, Philippines - Marlon Stockinger made his presence felt in the Hitech Junior Team in the opening round of the Michelin Formula Renault UK Championship at the Brands Hatch Indy circuit recenlty when he came through with strong finishes in the two races.

Stockinger, who celebrated his 18th birthday April 4, finished 20th in the first race and improved to 17th in Race 2.

“Marlon made a massive improvement from testing to qualifying, narrowly missing out on a top three place after making a small mistake at Graham Hill Bend but he drove well in both races and I’m sure that with more track experience under his belt, he will gain in confidence as the season progresses,” team principal David Hayle said.

The race saw the Hitech Junior Team score a podium finish as Jordan Oakes finished third on his first appearance with the team. His performance netted him the ELF/Atol Driver of the Day Award.

Lining up fourth, Jordan made a great start to leap into second place off the line but he miscalculated his bid to take the lead on the exit of Paddock Hill Bend on lap two, allowing eventual race winner Oliver Webb past and he dropped to third where he stayed for the duration of the 24-lap race.

In race two, Oakes was unable to take up his fourth row grid slot after a mechanical problem sidelined him, leaving teammates Stockinger, Tamas P’al Kiss and Nick Yelloly to continue Hitech’s campaign.

“ Jordan ’s was a superb result on the team’s first appearance in the championship and quite rightly netted him the driver of the day award,” Hayle said. “Unfortunately an engine problem between the two races could not be rectified for the second race. I’m sure he would have been in with a chance of another podium finish.

“Nick was unlucky to retire on the final lap of race one but he made steady progress in race two and has improved throughout the pre-season testing and into the weekend. Tamas drove well in both races.”

The team returned to action in the next rounds of the championship on April 25 and 26 at the ultra-fast Thruxton circuit in Hampshire. For the month of May, Marlon and his team will again see racing action on May 16-17 at Donnington, UK and then on May 30-31 at the Oulton Park, UK.