MANILA, Philippines - Racer Marlon Stockinger has over 100,000 likes on Facebook, almost 30,000 followers on Instagram and over 35,000 followers on Twitter. He is also the face of a national campaign for a telecommunications brand. He has the looks of a half-Filipino celebrity — one that inspires admirers to follow his every move, regardless if they follow motor sports or not.
He is also dubbed by the local press as an up and coming racing sensation, the Prince of Speed. As a junior racer for the Lotus F1 racing team, he’s just one step away from the Formula One Grand Prix. If ever he makes it to the F1, he will be the first Filipino to do so.
Yet if you ask him, Marlon would say he does not think of himself famous or special.
For the half-Swiss, half-Filipino driver, he’s just doing his job — the attention that comes with it is certainly welcome, but definitely unintentional.
“It’s not about making it special or thinking myself special to anyone else. At the end of the day, I’m just the same guy as any of you,” Marlon told The STAR in an exclusive interview. “I just treat it as people appreciating what I do. I don’t want to think of it as fame, that’s not what I’m doing motor sport for. I like racing and that’s about it.”
Marlon is promoting the Globe Slipstream event set on Aug. 30 in Taguig City. It aims to bring the F1 experience to the Philippines. The event will feature Marlon showing off his Lotus-Gravity Charouz Formula Renault 3.5 as he races around Bonifacio Global City.
The 23-year-old racer did not expect that he would attain this kind of success.
“I remember starting a Facebook fan page in 2009 when I raced in Europe. After a year or so, I had like, 120 followers. And I said to myself, ‘Wow, that’s a lot.’ And now, (I have) 137,000 followers. I’m surprised it’s growing and proof that motor sport is growing in the country and showing interest,” Marlon shared. “It’s good and I hope it’s because of the racing I’ve been doing.”
Now, he hopes to bring racing to the masses — a hard feat, considering the sport’s elitist image.
“But I don’t think it deserves the term elitist because, in the end, I’m not trying to do this sport just because I’m the only one, you know what I mean? I’m also doing this, in a way, to show other Filipinos will be able to achieve by proving to them we can compete with the best out there,” Marlon said.
Describing himself as easy-going and approachable, Marlon said he’s just a regular guy who happens to race. Like everyone else, he dreamt of being an “action hero superstar.” He started his racing career driving a go-kart in Carmona, Cavite at the age of nine. It was the independence of being behind the wheel that drew him to racing at first. “It just gave me that sense of freedom that I never experienced up until that point,” he said.
He moved to Europe when he was 16 to race full time. Marlon has not looked back since.
“It’s hard. I remember the first year, I wanted to come home every day. And now I’m at a point where I enjoy every time I go back to Europe. In a sense, I’ve been able to grow. I’d say racing gave me that opportunity. I wasn’t in my own backyard, I have to find my own, I have to cook for myself,” Marlon said of living away from his family. He’s currently based in Switzerland.
“My motivation is basically just trying to be the best, trying to win. And when you strive for that, you always want to work because it takes a lot of sacrifice and commitment to reach those goals.”
Marlon is often asked if he’s open to entering show business. “I would say that racing is show business already,” he quipped.
“But at this moment, I’m committed to my sport. I need to be to reach the pinnacle that is Formula One. If an opportunity, if someone really wants to, then it’s a nice experience to have. I don’t want to close doors but I also know where my priorities lie and at the moment it’s motor sports,” he added.
Indeed, it can be said that Marlon is already part of showbiz. In a recent interview with an entertainment news site, he was asked about his opinion regarding the relationship of his friend and former racer Matteo Guidicelli and Sarah Geronimo (Marlon said he approves of the singer-actress). It’s perhaps one of the downsides of his popularity, but Marlon does not let that rain on his parade.
As Marlon sees it, reaching as many people with his celebrity status allows him to educate more people about racing.
“As long as there is interest, I think I’m doing my job and I’m doing it well when people start to wonder what I do. One way or another, if you know me, you’re gonna find out about motor sport because that’s just really part of my life,” he said.
“If any one of them wants to come up to me and talk about the racing or anything, I’m always open to that. I’ll never for sure turn down a photo (op) or a chance to speak with them,” Marlon also said.
But Marlon isn’t here to bask in his popularity and successes — he still has to achieve his dream of racing in the F1.
“Of course I’m working really hard with that. It’s really what I’m focusing my efforts to do,” he said. “I think I’m good enough and I think the Philippines is ready for a Formula One driver.”
Marlon added that his being a Filipino gave him the natural fighting spirit in his racing. “I can say that whether I’m fighting from the back or (in) the front of the race, I’m always working hard. I think that’s an attribute we have that shows in several sports,” he said. “My racing pedigree started here. Everything I learned came from driving with Filipino drivers in a Filipino circuit.”
How would he want to be known? “As a fast-racing driver, and a Filipino one at that.”
And what is his ultimate dream? “To be a Formula One world champion. Nothing else other than that.”