BROOKSVILLE, FL -- Motocross racing is a risky sport. But the risk is supposed to end when the race is over.
Tragically that wasn't the case for 21-year-old Oscar Diaz of Pasco County. He was gracing the covers of magazines. He was an up-and-coming star in the Florida racing world whose life was cut short.
George Babor of Brooksville’s BPM Racing Engines says Oscar Diaz was a bright star with an even brighter future. Babor says he first saw Diaz racing as a teenager.
"When I hear Oscar Diaz he's got this grin," Babor says.
Before too long, Babor says he convinced him to join his team. Today his shop is full of Oscar's bikes. But he says over the years Oscar became more like a son than a teammate. "Oscar Diaz was the kind of kid you wanted your kid to be like."
Babor tells ABC Action News that Oscar and his dad Mario moved here from Costa Rica to pursue Oscar's dream of becoming a professional racer. He worked his way up the amateur ranks winning many races across Florida and the country, turning pro this year.
Then Oscar got a call to race in Guatemala's biggest national race.
"You get invited to these national event and you don't take it as a threat, you take it as an opportunity," Babor says.
When racing wrapped up on Saturday night, Oscar was on pace to win. Sadly he would never finish. That's when George says he got a call from Mario Diaz. "He told me that they took my son.”
According to the Associated Press, Guatemalan officials say a group of men ambushed the car Oscar was riding in with assault rifles. "I just could not imagine what was going on, you just don't think of Oscar Diaz and murder," Babor says.
Now the racing community is mourning the loss of what could have been its next great star.
The kid with the infectious smile, who loved to ride, compete, and win.
Babor says Oscar was just one week shy of his 22nd birthday. The community says they're planning benefit races and memorials in his name. We'll keep you posted on any developments.
