Zoroastro, nicknamed the Maestro, is a teacher at the International Race School, and the tutor and uncle of Xavier Xonora.
History[]
Early History[]
One of the first ever hover car racers, the Russian-born Zoroastro proved to be an exceptional driver, being perfectly exact in taking corners, and wearing down his opponents to the point where they would crack under the pressure. He eventually earned a place on the pro-racing circuit, later becoming the world champion.
Through unknown relations, Zoroastro became related to the royal family of the Principality of Monsei; since he was not royalty, Zoroastro most likely was a relative of King Francis Xonora's wife.
Eventually, Zoroastro retired from racing, and then went on to become a teacher at the International Race School in Hobart, Australia. Though it was standard practise for teachers to take three drivers and their teams under their tutelage, Zoroastro only deigned to take two teams on each year; given his status as a former world champion, the School granted him this selfishness. For many years, Zoroastro's pupils would often take the school championship, though it is implied that he encouraged dirty tactics and cheating in order for them to accomplish this, and on top of this, other racers would complain how his students raced like teams rather than against each other.
Hover Car Racer[]
One year, at the end of the entrance assembly, it was announced that his students would be Barnaby Becker and his team, as well as Zoroastro's own nephew, Xavier Xonora, and his team. After the first day's lessons, Zoroastro had dinner with his students.
For Race 1 of the school's racing tournament, Zoroastro was acting as the Pit Bay Supervisor for the race. On Lap 5, Zoroastro noticed that the front wings of the Argonaut - the car of Jason Chaser - were two inches over the pit bay line, as Chaser had edged ahead before his pit stop was completed, and so gave the Argonaut a 15-second penalty.
Under Zoroastro's instruction, the already-talented Xavier and Barnaby easily took the lead on the school championship ladder for the majority of the initial races of the season, though on Race 22, Xavier only narrowly beat Team Argonaut on the gate race course. Realising that the Chasers could become a threat to his students, and noting Bug Chaser's talent for plotting out courses, Zoroastro whispered to Barnaby to suggest that he and his other students take measures to shatter the Bug's confidence. Though Zoroastro's students cornered the Chaser brothers that night, Jason took the blows from Guido Moralez instead, so Xavier called it off.
For the Sponsors' Tournament, Zoroastro may have encouraged Xavier and Barnaby to tip the odds in their favour during the semi-finals by sabotaging their opponents magneto drives. While Xavier got away with this to soundly beat Varishna Krishna, Guido was captured on Team Argonaut's pit bay camera placing a portable microwave transmitter near their fresh mags during Barnaby's match against Jason. In the subsequent emergency hearing, Stanislaus Calder disqualified Barnaby from the tournament, and although he wanted Barnaby and Guido expelled as well, Zoroastro spoke on their behalf, convincing the committee that such behaviour was out of character for them and had been a foolish act of desperation, allowing them to continue attending Race School.
While Xavier was away attending the Italian Run, Zoroastro began preparing to secure his students' final ranking in the school championship, so that they would come in the top four and earn the invitations to the New York Challenger Race that came with them. To this end, he spoke with a few other racing students - including Horatio Wong, Joaquin Cortez and Isaiah Washington - to propose alliances that would improve their own standings when the racing season came to an end, though he likely made it clear that his priority was to get Xavier and Barnaby to emerge on top.
By the end of Race 49, Xavier was in an unassailable lead to take first place, while Barnaby was still in fourth place and in a six-person contention for the final two places to New York (Krishna had also attained an unbeatable second-place position), meaning that Barnaby needed to place well in Race 50. Ultimately, however, Ariel Piper and Jason beat out Zoroastro's second student and took third-and-fourth place respectively.
At the subsequent end-of-year presentation dinner, though Xavier and his team received a number of awards from the school for their efforts, Zoroastro was denied the Teacher of the Year award, losing it to Scott Syracuse. This was in spite of general opinion that Zoroastro's instruction had contributed to Team Xonora's achievements, and due to the fact that a few School officials recalled Barnaby's cheating scandal at the Sponsors' Tournament and quietly suspected Zoroastro had been involved.
Personality[]
.
Skills[]
- Expert Driver / Pilot: As a former hover car racer, Zoroastro is capable of piloting the aviation-type vehicle. During his racing career, he was capable of performing aerial feats and maneuvers that in the present day are only known to pilots of fighter jets.
- Expert Tactician: To Be Added.
Trivia[]
- Zoroastro is described as being skeletal thin and possessing a beak-like nose.