Underdog Pastor earns podium finish in Macau GP

Filipino race car driver Ferdinand "Enzo" S. Pastor earned a podium finish in the recent CTM Macau Touring Car Race during the 56th Grande Premio De Macau in Macau, China. The Macau GP was held over the weekend with the Formula 3 as the highlight of the four-day motor-racing event – both cars and motorcycles – best known for the its street circuit.

The 27-yer-old Pastor, riding in a souped-up Honda Civic under Team FS Pastor, finished third behind Hong Kong bets Lo Ka Fai of 778 Auto Sport and Look Fong Racing Team’s Kenneth Look in the 12-lap race. Pastor, an underdog pitted against some of the region's best race car drivers, clocked in 34 minutes and 16.307 seconds while traveling at 128.57kph in Macau’s world-renowned Guia Circuit. He was 5.252 seconds behind Lo’s 34:11.055 and 3.411 seconds adrift of runner-up Look’s 34:14.466 time. Lo led early in the race and never slowed down to beat 34 of the strongest and best touring car drivers in the region. The 10-year veteran racecar driver, who first competed in the 1999 Asian Toyota Corolla Cup, was ninth in the qualifying race, registering a time of 2:50.769 at 129.01kph or 6.987 seconds behind top qualifier Lo (2:43.782). Pastor’s best time in the race was 2:47.558 compared to the 2:51.126 he logged during the free practice round that gave him a 10th place finish. He had his breakout performance in 2002 when he hoisted the Asian Formula Renault Championship crown. Pastor’s other career achievement in the Asian racing circuit are rookie of the year (2000); runner up finishes in the Toyota Corolla Cup (2000), Formula Toyota Cup (2001) and Asian F3 Series Promotion Class (2003); and third place honors in the Philippine Junior Touring Car Championship and B.F. Goodrich Production Car Series. Close to 60,000 racing fans watched the four-day Macau GP with Italy’s Edoardo Mortara winning the centerpiece FIA F3 Intercontinental Cup. – GMANews.TV