The 2009 racing season is off to a flying start – in particular for 16-year-old Gary Thompson from Donabate, Co Dublin.
On his car racing debut, Thompson dominated the opening weekend of the Formula BMW Pacific Championship at Sepang, which supported the Malaysian Grand Prix.
After qualifying in pole position for both races, he won the opening round and added fastest lap, despite dropping to fourth place at the start. In race two, he finished third when the race was shortened, leaving him at the top of the points table as the series heads for a busy weekend back at Sepang, with four more races packed into two days.
These results have earned him the coveted title of Dunlop Young Racing Driver of the Month for April.
This season, Thompson is planning to contest the Pacific series as well as three rounds of Formula BMW Europe supporting the British, Hungarian and Belgian Grands Prix, where he will drive for the Raikkonen Robertson team.
Thompson, who is sponsored by Aviation Display, began racing karts at the age of nine in 2002, and finished third in the British Super 1 JICA Championship in 2007.
Having been selected as the first Dunlop Driver of the Month for the 2009 season, Thompson is now a contender for the prestigious €50,000 Dunlop Motorsport Ireland Young Racing Driver of the Year Award.
This award is presented annually and is sponsored by Dunlop, the Irish Sports Council and Motorsport Ireland.
