Stockinger scores in UK Winter Cup

MANILA, Philippines - The Hitech Junior Team continued its run of success with Filipino-Swiss racer Marlon Stockinger taking his very first podium finish along with teammate Nick Yelloly at the lead in the final rounds of the 2009 Michelin Formula Renault UK Winter Cup at Rockingham on Saturday.

Yelloly’s results, coupled with those from Snetterton, makes him runner-up in the series, while Stockinger, with his maiden podium finish, climbed to fifth overall.

Another strong pace in pre-event testing saw the two 18 year-olds consistently among the pace-setters, with Stockinger topping the times in the second of three sessions on Friday.

In Saturday morning’s qualifying session which decided the grid for the two races, based on first and second quickest lap times, the pair each posted the third and fourth quickest times to get a Row 2 start for both rounds.

With a superb start on a cold but sunny day, Stockinger surged into the lead at the first corner after a poor getaway from pole-man Harry Tincknell.

Yelloly also made the most of Tincknell’s mistake to follow Stockinger through, but as the pack entered the first left hand hairpin, front-row starter Tom Blomqvist exited in the lead, with Marlon second ahead of Yelloly. As the field entered the next hairpin, Tincknell found a way past Yelloly, but just moments later the safety car was deployed to retrieve a stranded car.

At the restart Yelloly briefly lost a place to Thomas Hylkema but wasted no time in retaking the position the next lap and began to close down the gap to third-placed Tincknell. 

Up at the front, Stockinger was driving a mature and steady race, his lap times consistently among the quickest and matching those of his teammate. The pair eventually finished second and fourth, marking Marlon’s maiden podium finish and increasing Yelloly’s chances of securing second in the overall standings.

Race two kicked off later that day and another great start from both the Hitech drivers saw them jostling for second place at the first corner.

At the end of the lap however Yelloly was third and Stockinger fourth before a safety car, and later a red flag after five laps, signalled the premature end of the race.

At the restart to be held over seven laps, the positions remained unchanged off the line, but after briefly being passed by Hylkema, Stockinger quickly retook fourth and followed Yelloly home in third to the team’s second podium finish of the day.

At the conclusion of the four-round Michelin Formula Renault UK Winter Cup series, Yelloly finished second to take the runner-up spot with Stockinger in fifth, just seven points away from third place.