Rally driving icon Jun Espino, 64

Reynaldo Espino, Jr was his name. To his many friends, colleagues, the Philippine motor sport world, he was known simply as Jun. Jun passed on early Monday morning, 4:15am, to be exact. He was 64.

For the past 5 decades, Jun was a byword in local motor sport circles – firstly, as one of the best, if not the best, rally co-drivers in the country from the 70’s until the end of the century, and then to this day, as an extremely knowledgeable and respected motor sport official.

I first met Jun in the late 70’s when I was a motor sport late bloomer. By then, Jun had already made a name for himself navigating – and winning – sampaguita rallies, then transitioning to co-driving in modern-day gravel and tarmac rallies. Still a relative rally novice by then, I took a chance and asked him if he would consider co-driving with me. To this day, I have no idea why, but he agreed. I had only run a few local rallies by that time and he was already “the” Jun Espino then and could have had his pick of more experienced drivers to co-drive. Perhaps he had a penchant for living dangerously. In any case, we partnered up and never looked back.

Over the next almost 20 years, Jun and I rallied all over, both here and abroad. Mostly, we did local rallies. But as we began to earn podium finishes, and then outright wins, we decided we had to compete abroad if we wanted the complete rally experience. Malaysia, China, New Zealand, Australia, the US were the countries we rallied in.

During our most rally-intensive years in the 80s, we would do 5 local, and 2 foreign, rallies a year. I estimated once that, in a typical year, Jun and I would spend about 72 days a year, doing races and rallies. That’s 72 full days, just the two of us in a car, mostl of the time in the middle of nowhere. If you spend that much time together, it is impossible not to develop a strong bond, based on mutual respect, understanding and compatibility.

When our rally and racing days were over, we both found ourselves in Automobile Association Philippines where our roles switched from competing to officiating. Here again, Jun’s experience, encyclopedic mastery of arcane rules and technical knowledge established him as the eminent authority in all matters motor sport. So well known was his acumen in these matters that the FIA Asia Zone tasked him to oversee its karting program in the region.

His prowess as competitor and official notwithstanding, it was Jun’s humanity that endeared him to those who knew him – his sense of humor, appetite for life sensitivity to, and willingness to help, those around him. Jun Espino – co-driver par excellence, team manager, motor sport official, mentor, partner and friend – will be remembered with fondness.