Aspiring journalist Filip Cleeren reports on the Bridgestone-backed GP2 Series at the Monaco Grand Prix28/05/2009

Bridgestone, exclusive tyre supplier to the GP2 Series, announced the eleven finalists of the 2009 pan-European Bridgestone e-reporter young journalists’ competition at the beginning of May, with eight finalists due to attend GP2 race weekends. Belgian finalist Filip Cleeren, a journalism student at Plantijn Hogeschool Antwerp, was offered the chance to attend the second round of the GP2 Series (21-23 May), at the Monaco Grand Prix, as part of the e-reporter initiative.  

Filip (aged 21) was the second e-reporter of the year to attend a GP2 event for Bridgestone, and to write race reports and features on the Formula One feeder series for the Bridgestone website, www.bridgestone.eu/e-reporter. Interviewing a host of drivers for his reports, including feature race winner Romain Grosjean (Barwa Addax Team), Filip gained invaluable journalistic experience and had the opportunity to practice his interviewing skills.  

Commenting on his e-reporter experience, Filip said, "Going to the Monaco Grand Prix as a Bridgestone e-reporter has been everything I thought it would be. The unique atmosphere, not only in the Monte Carlo harbour but also in the wonderfully friendly and accessible GP2 paddock, proved to be a fantastic environment to work in and for me to get my first taste of live motorsports journalism.  

“I gave it my all, worked very hard and loved every single second of it. It's been an experience I'll never forget and I hope it will kick-start my career, as I have learnt valuable skills that I wouldn't have been able to pick up any other way. I want to thank all of the people from Bridgestone and GP2 for making this possible and being so supportive. I hope to see you again very soon!"  

Entrants for this year’s Bridgestone e-reporter competition were asked to demonstrate their ability to write topical interview questions and a newsworthy story when applying for the competition. Entry levels for the 2009 contest have been higher than ever before, with students also being able to enter in seven different languages.  

The next Bridgestone e-reporter finalist to attend a GP2 race weekend will be Stephanie Black (from Scotland), who will be attending the British Grand Prix at Silverstone from 19-21 June. The overall winner of this year’s e-reporter competition, chosen for their ability to represent the Bridgestone brand and demonstrate their natural flair for journalism, will be announced in September 2009.  

For further information on the 2009 Bridgestone e-reporter competition, and to view race reports throughout the season from this year’s finalists, visit www.bridgestone.eu/e-reporter.

To read about this year's e-reporter finalists, please use the following links:
E-reporter Mieke Vercammen at the Belgian GP2 Grand Prix
E-reporter Joao Filipe at the European GP2 Grand Prix
E-reporter Tim Biesbrouck at the Hungarian GP2 Grand Prix
E-reporter Kate Goodacre at the German GP2 Grand Prix
E-reporter Lukasz Lesniewski at the Dutch MotoGP Grand Prix
E-reporter Stephanie Black at the British GP2 Grand Prix
E-reporter Renaud Lacroix at the Spanish MotoGP Grand Prix
E-reporter Simona Vogel at the French MotoGP Grand Prix
E-reporter Ferran Lopez Margall at the Spanish GP2 Grand Prix