Indonesian Rio Haryanto, 17, has won of the most prestigious prizes in a single junior Motorsport Formula - A test drive in a Virgin Racing VR-01 Formula 1 Car.
The prize was offered by the Virgin Racing team at the beginning of the season to the driver that finished highest in the GP3 Series in a Manor Racing entered car.
Rio came to the series having dominated the 2009 Formula BMW Pacific Championship with 11 wins, and he has continued his winning streak this year in Turkey, as well as finishing on the podium several times.
He finished third on Saturday in the first of two races at Monza, his third podium finish in the GP3 series following his victory in Istanbul and second-place finish in Silverstone, England.
Rio’s steady progress has Indonesian motorsports experts predicting he could go all the way to Formula One. Virgin’s announcement certainly gives credence to such expectations.
Rio currently competes for Virgin Racing-assisted Manor Motorsport in inaugural season of GP3 Series
