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Born in the German town of Lindenfels in 1982, Timo Glock didn’t start racing until the relatively late age of 15. As with most drivers, he got his first taste of motorsport in karting and was so successful that just three years later he was given the opportunity to progress to cars, making his debut in the Formula BMW-ADAC series.
It was a wise move for the young German, who swiftly notched up the junior cup in his first year, before clinching the main championship the following season. Unsurprisingly, his swift rise through the ranks landed him a seat in another series and he began competing in German Formula Three in 2002.
Driving for Opel Team KMS, he scored three wins and six podiums during his debut year and the next season moved into the Formula Three Euroseries, enjoying three wins and finishing fifth overall in the standings. After impressing several observers he was quickly signed up to Formula One racing, becoming Jordan’s third driver in 2004.
After enjoying several test outings for the team, Glock was called up to stand in for race driver Giorgio Pantano, who had a contractual dispute with the British team. He made his Grand Prix debut in Canada alongside fellow German Nick Heidfeld. Finishing seventh, it was a stunning maiden outing and when Pantano eventually left the team, Jordan signed Glock to compete in the season's three remaining races.
Although he failed to match that initial result - finishing 15th in each outing - the German proved himself more than worthy of a permanent Formula One seat. But at the end of the season, opportunities were few and far between, and Glock headed to America to compete in the Champ Car series in 2005.
With the Rocketsports racing team, he enjoyed a reasonably successful season, scoring his best finish in the Montreal race when he came home second and he eventually finished ninth in the championship. Despite several offers to continue to race in America, Glock decided that he would return to Europe in an attempt to get back into Formula One racing.
After closely watching the inaugural GP2 season, Glock decided to try and land a seat in the innovative series, which was quickly becoming regarded as the best feeder for Formula One racing. He won on two occasions in his first year of GP2 competition and took fourth in the standings.
While it was enough to land him another F1 test drive, this time with BMW Sauber, it was not enough for a race seat and Glock persisted in GP2 in 2007. Driving for iSport International, it proved a sensible move and he won the series with five victories. Combined with his BMW outings, the title attracted some serious attention from other F1 teams and he was named as Ralf Schumacher’s replacement at Toyota for 2008.
His first full season of competitive Formula One proved to be an impressive one, despite a couple of huge accidents. He not only scored six times en route to 10th in the drivers’ championship (just one place and six points shy of veteran team Jarno Trulli), he also took his maiden F1 podium with a well-earned second in Hungary.
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