Pastor 1st RP driver to earn AF3 top three

Enzo Pastor became the first Filipino driver to break into the top three of this year’s Asian Formula Three Series when he took third place overall in round 3 of the Asian Formula Three Series last Sunday at the Subic International Raceway.

Enzo, the 2002 Asian Formula Renault champion who drives for Fujitsu Ten Team Tom’s Petron and is sponsored by the Department of Tourism, Philippine Convention and Visitors Corp., Petron, Bench, Boysen and McGills Paints, steered clear of trouble on the 2.4-kilometer circuit in his oversteering Dallara Tom’s Toyota F302 to finish .501 of a second behind second placer John O’Hara of Ireland and just 1.27 seconds behind race winner Christian Jones of Australia.

At the start, Enzo executed a textbook launch that catapulted him from the fourth row up into second place between polesitter O’Hara and Jones. Before the end of the second lap, however, Jones slipstreamed past Enzo on the backstretch to retake second spot. It was then that Enzo began having handling problems.

"I was closing in on O’Hara but the rear end of my car was becoming looser with each passing lap. I twice came close to hitting a wall so I decided to just keep a comfortable pace," Enzo said after the race.

Enzo’s teammate and brother, Don, meanwhile, was leading the Promotions Class for cars built in 1998 and earlier ahead of rivals Dado Peña and Tyson Sy, when he suddenly lost traction at the Bus Stop chicane and crashed rearward into the barriers on lap 10 of the 15-lap race. The incident gave Peña and, thereafter, Sy a chance to take the lead.

The younger Pastor, who was stunned by the impact, climbed out of his cockpit and collapsed beside his car, prompting race officials to deploy the safety car and ambulance.