Francisco "Paco" C. Ventura, known to his friends as Paquito, pioneered motor racing in the Philippines in the 1960s. The Golden Wheel Awards Foundation inducted him into the Hall of Fame by unanimous vote on March 3, 2012. This award was presented to Ventura by

Dante Silverio Edmundo "Dante" S. Silverio, Sr. (born October 17, 1937), is a Filipino people, Filipino painter, former basketball coach and former champion race car driver. Motorsports Silverio rose to prominence in 1972, when he captured a rare double feat, ...

in the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino Theater in the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

Biography

Ventura was born in 1931 in

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

. Born into a family of 12 siblings, he was the youngest of 4 brothers. Ventura's interest in

racing In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...

began in 1956; He had been waiting for a traffic light to change and a car drove up alongside his. A definite speed challenge. The car belonged to Conrado "Dodo" Ayuyao, who later became one of his closest friends. Ayuyao knew a group of car enthusiasts that got together on Sundays. They tested their engine's performance by

drag racing Drag racing is a type of motor racing in which automobiles or motorcycles compete, usually two at a time, to be first to cross a set finish line. The race follows a short, straight course from a standing start over a measured distance, most c ...

Nielson Field Nielson Field (Luzon, the Philippines) was the location of the Far East Air Force headquarters. Most of the aircraft of the FEAF were based at either Clark Field or Nichols Field. The cultural site was an ''Honourable Mention'' in the 2001 UNES ...

Makati Makati ( ), officially the City of Makati ( fil, Lungsod ng Makati), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. Makati is the financial center of the Philippines; it has the highest concentration ...

. It was not all racing for Francisco; in 1958, he established his own business, Win-Dor Steel Mfg. Francisco C

Cam Wreckers Association

Ventura regularly met with other speed

aficionados A fan or fanatic, sometimes also termed an aficionado or enthusiast, is a person who exhibits strong interest or admiration for something or somebody, such as a celebrity, a sport, a sports team, a genre, a politician, a book, a movie, a vid ...

including Dodjie Laurel, Bob Smith, Ruben Saulog, Joe Cacho, Jun Campillo, Eugene and Sam SyCip. Together with Ayuyao, this group formed the first official motor racing club in the Philippines, the Cam Wreckers Association. The Sunday racing group felt it was time to make their passion official. When trying to come up with a name, their mechanic kept interrupting and complaining that he needed more cam shafts because they were always breaking, hence, the start of the Cam Wreckers Club. The club's objective was to invite others to race cars, go-karts, boats and to compete locally and internationally.

Racing achievements

1961,

Pasig, Philippines Pasig, officially the City of Pasig ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people. It is located along the ...

. Drag Jamboree Class B. Ventura won third place (Manolo Maceda first and Billy Martinez second).
1962,

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and List of cities in Japan, largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, ...

. International Invitational Go-Kart Race at the Johnson Tachikawa Air Base. Ventura placed third (Dodjie Laurel first and Joe Cacho second).
1962,

Macau, China Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a po ...

. Ventura won first in a 30-lap ACP class.
1963, Manila, Philippines. Ventura won the Grand Prix Kart Race in Luneta.
1964, Manila, Philippines. Won first at the Shell Car Rally.
1964,

Mandaluyong, Philippines Mandaluyong, officially the City of Mandaluyong ( fil, Lungsod ng Mandaluyong), is a first class Cities of the Philippines#Legal classification, highly urbanized city in the Metro Manila, National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to ...

. Won first at the Enduro Go Kart Race.
1964, Outstanding Motor Sportsman of the Year. Cover page of the Philippine Herald Magazine.
1966, Manila, Philippines. Won first at the Philippine Karting Prix in Luneta.
1969,

Cebu, Philippines Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 167 ...

. Won second, First Philippine Grand Prix (Chito Montserrat won first). File:Francisco C. Ventura and his mechanic Temiong.jpg, Ventura with his mechanic Temiong setting up for the next go-kart race. File:Francisco C. Ventura, Go Kart Race in Luneta.jpg, Green flag waves to start the Manila Karting Prix in Luneta. File:Francisco C. Ventura at the Macau Grand Prix.jpg, Ventura in Macau in his

Alfa Romeo Giulietta Spider The Alfa Romeo Giulietta (''Tipo 750'' and ''Tipo 101'', meaning "Type 750" and "Type 101") is a family of automobiles made by Italian car manufacturer Alfa Romeo from 1954 until 1965 which included a 2+2 coupé, four-door saloon, estate, spi ...

that won him first in a 30-lap ACP class race, 1962 File:Francisco C. Ventura arrives from Macau.jpg, R to L: Ventura, Dodjie Laurel and Joe Cacho arrived from Macau, 1962 File:Francisco C. Ventura, Vintage Car Rallly.jpg, R to L: Ventura, Manolo Maceda, and Johnny Lee team up for a Vintage Car Rally File:Francisco C. Ventura at an Endurance Race.jpg, An endurance test of man and machine. Ventura teams up with Tony Gana in this 100-lap race using a Dodge Colt. File:Francisco C. Ventura, First Cebu Grand Prix.jpg, Ventura running first until engine trouble at the last lap, 30 meters to go. Paco Ventura finished second. File:1964 PH Shell Car Rally.jpg, Paco Ventura Team, Winner of the 1964 Philippine Shell Car Rally.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ventura, Francisco Filipino racing drivers Sportspeople from Manila