He describes himself as a work in progress and he’s literally racing with time. “I still have to do a lot of racing,” said Marlon Stockinger, 20, who is half-Swiss and half-Filipino. “There’s so much to be done.”
In 2008, Marlon finished third in Rookie Cup in the Formula BMW Pacific Championships and a year later, placed fifth in the Formula Renault UK Winter Series. Last year, he was first-placer in the Formula Renault in UK and last October, he landed among the Top 5 in the over-all standing in the GP3 series held around the Catalan Circuit in Barcelona, Spain.
In fact, Marlon has been bringing home trophies and honors from prestigious championship races since 2006. Asked how many trophies he has bagged so far, Marlon broke into his Albert Martinez smile and said, humbly, “Honestly, I have lost count.”
Yes, he could be mistaken for Albert. Why, they could have been separated at birth. They have the same height (“I’m 5’7”,” Marlon claimed, although he looked more petite than that), the same aura and the same boyish appeal that arouses the maternal instinct in women. Could he take time out from the racetrack and try acting, maybe as Albert’s younger brother (or “double”)?
“I have a very high respect for artistas,” said Marlon in fluent Filipino, “it’s mahirap what they are doing, acting and singing and dancing. They also have to take care of their fans. Hindi ko kaya ‘yon. In the meantime, I just want to focus on racing and make sure that I do it properly.”