~ by Chris #16 Demaras ~
I met Alan Pestano Jr. in the summer of 2024 at a CSCS event, when Daniel and I were running the Gearheads Giving Back booth. We were raffling off a chance to drive Daniel’s speedy No. 12 Can-Jam F1200 race car, with all the ticket money going to SickKids. Alan dropped a bunch of cash on the table, bought a pile of tickets, and ended up winning that once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Months later, after the racing season had ended, Daniel, Alan and a couple of the other prize winners met up at Toronto Motorsports Park to drive the race car. Alan brought his wife Ashley with him, and the two were obviously a perfect match. Both were heavily into the car scene, and at one point they were actually discussing the cost of a gallon of House of Kolor blue paint because they wanted their new baby stroller to match Alan’s show car. While the F1200 was being readied, Alan stopped to carefully move a caterpillar off the pit wall so it wouldn’t get smushed. I remember thinking this guy had a big heart, and telling him he was going to make a cool dad.
Exactly a year later, I saw Ashley again at the CSCS season finale, pushing that baby stroller. Sure enough, it was blue, matched to the car, and even had LED lights. Their little girl Luna was riding in probably the coolest stroller at the racetrack.
Over the winter I contacted Alan a couple of times to invite him and Ashley to the Fast Film Fest in Oakville, but he always hesitated. He never really said why, just that he would check with the wife and get back to me. I couldn’t have known Ashley was sick. On Sunday, Alan quietly told me just how much she had been going through. Some days were good, others were not, and there were times when they couldn’t even make plans to go to the movies like a normal young couple.
Earlier this year, Ashley passed away, leaving behind Alan and their beloved baby girl Luna.
When Ashley died, the car community decided Alan and Luna were not going through this alone. Friends and fellow gearheads started organizing fundraisers, and CSCS in particular called in every favour they could. High-dollar raffle prizes came in from K-Tuned, Liqui Moly, Versace and others.
Can-Jam Motorsports donated a brand-new FA20 Subaru boxer engine valued at $4,000, while a $2,100 set of TrackOne coilovers was also up for grabs. Everyone who came through the gate received a raffle ticket, but plenty of people bought additional tickets because winning a prize was really only part of the reason they were there.
My previous fundraising experience with the Rally Against Hunger and Gearheads Giving Back probably made me the right person to run the raffle. Plus, I had called up ahead of time and asked how I could help. Up at 5:00 AM, on the road by 6:00 AM and at the track by 8:00 AM, I knew I was in store for a long day.
Kevin from CSCS had put incredible effort into the whole thing. Clear acrylic boxes were set up for each prize, so people could choose exactly what they wanted to win. Never a shy person, I did the hard sell, the soft sell, whatever it took to help gearheads open their hearts and wallets. The strange part was that Alan was standing right next to me for most of the day, DJ-ing the event.
CSCS shows are massive events. Somewhere between five and eight thousand people can come through the gates (depending on the weather) with drag racing, time attack, drifting, loudest stereo, loudest exhaust and, of course, the show-car competition my wife calls the “beauty pageant.” Alan has been part of that scene for years. His 2000 Honda Prelude Type SH, nicknamed ‘Angel’, has won Best of Show more than once. He loves the car scene.
On Sunday, that car community gave some of that love back. People didn’t really ask how much the raffle tickets were. They just handed over a $20, a $50, or whatever they could spare. I handed them their tickets, and a lot of the time there wasn’t much to say. We just exchanged a glance and shared a quiet moment thinking about Alan, little Luna, and what the future holds for them.
It wasn’t really about the money. It was the car community taking care of one of its own.
Sunset arrived early, the raffle prizes were handed out, and then came the show-car awards. Somehow my own teal, pink and purple Subaru—the Synthwave SVX—ended up winning a Best in Show trophy. I was happy, of course, but the day had weighed heavily on me. Alan had been standing beside me for hours, and I hugged him a couple of times. I could feel the tears starting more than once, sometimes his, sometimes mine.
Nothing that happened Sunday could change what Alan and Luna have lost. But for one long day at the racetrack, thousands of people made sure they knew they were not facing it alone. Alan has spent years showing up for the car community. On Sunday, the car community showed up for him.
Thank you for all that you, your family and your team do for others. I didn’t expect to cry tears of gratitude so early on a Sunday morning, but here I am. Thank you!