MANILA, Philippines - Enzo Pastor, one of the country’s top race car drivers, once envisioned to turn the country into the newest hub for late model NASCAR races in Asia.
In fact, with the help of his father Tom, they launched the Asian V8 Championship Series which already held a couple of legs at the Batangas Racing Circuit.
It was an ambitious effort that called for the importation of eight NASCAR vehicles to serve as competitive training vehicles in the country. Each vehicle cost as much as $100,000.
During a press conference at the Resorts World, the Pastors unveiled one of the cars used for the Asian V8 Series.
Enzo loved the challenge and was determined to carry the fight for the Philippines. After all, he was the only Filipino NASCAR driver at the time of his death.
“It’s my homecourt. I don’t see any reason why I would lose,†said Enzo during the launch.
But an assassin’s bullet ended his dream Thursday night. Pastor, 32, was gunned down inside his truck at the corner of Visayas and Congressional Avenues in Barangay Pasong Tamo at past 10 p.m. (Related story on Page 1)
He was on the passenger seat, said his assistant Paolo Salazar, who was driving the van. The two were on their way to Clark, Pampanga when the attack happened.
Pastor broke into the international racing consciousness when he placed fourth in last year’s Euro Racecar Nascar series in France, missing a breakthrough podium finish by mere seconds.
He actually started out racing go-karts and became a touring car and F3 standout and eventually a champion driver in the Asian Formula Renault in 2002.
In 2003, he became the youngest Filipino F3 driver at 21. And in 2009, he finished second runner-up in the tough Macau Grand Prix to become the first Filipino on the podium after the late Dodjie Laurel.
In 2012, Pastor won five of nine races he entered in the Philippine National Touring Car Championship, raced in his fourth Macau GP and did his first Euro Racecar NASCAR race in Brands Hatch in England.
He said then that he was just getting started.
“I just keep on trying. I am blessed. I also consider myself lucky always being at the right place at the right time,†said Pastor then.
Pastor is the first Filipino to participate in the NASCAR Whelen Euroseries Open Championship race circuit. He finished sixth place overall for his first Euroseries Open Championship in 2013 and became the first Filipino to be invited to the gala night of NASCAR, an elite gathering of the world’s finest NASCAR drivers.