Paet James Hidalgo (pronounced pate - he-dall-go), was born June 5th 1962 in Portland, Oregon USA and spent most of his youth growing up between the Pacific Northwest and Northern California. The Filipino, Spanish and Irish second generation American is the son of former thoroughbred racehorse jockey and multiple leading rider champion Cerilo P. Hidalgo. With racing in his genes but a physique that ruled out the possibility of becoming a jockey, his father began bringing him to the local Quarter Midget race track in Hayward, California where he learned to race on four wheels, reluctantly alongside his older and younger sisters; who were really much more interested in horses and eventually left Paet to make motor racing his specialty [www.seattleu.edu/home/news_events/magazine/details.asp?elItemID=MAG_1154].

A decision by Paet’s divorced parents resulted in a move back to the Pacific Northwest, where his mother and stepfather settled in Redondo, Washington a scenic waterfront suburb of Seattle located on the Puget Sound. A racing enthusiast and good amateur driver in his own right, Paet’s stepfather carried on with the motor sports influence by exposing him to Formula 5000, Trans Am and Can Am circuses when they made their stops at Seattle and Portland International raceways [seattlepi.nwsource.com/archives/1989/8901110941.asp]. It was at these storied venues where Paet, an impressionable adolescent witnessed firsthand the greatness and purity of the sport and its stars, including the brilliance of Mark Donahue, Swede Savage, Clay Regazzoni, Dan Gurney, Vic Elford, Parnelli Jones, Jody Schecter, David Hobbs, Mario Andretti and Sam Posey.