Crew Chief Chuy “Mantis” Colocho grew up in the eastern valleys of Shangri-LA and fell in love with the local street racing scene from an early age. Chuy was born to a family of racers and car enthusiasts, and Chuy's natural mechanical acumen flourished under the supervision of relatives and friends who encouraged the child’s curiosity.
Before long, Chuy was a competent wrencher and assisted with repairing and maintaining any vehicle on which he could get his young hands. As Chuy matured, his interest naturally moved on from just repairing cars to driving them. As many children leap from crawling to running - altogether skipping that intermediary step of walking - so too, Chuy skipped the step of driving for leisure or necessity and went straight for high-speed adrenaline.
Chuy’s first time behind the wheel as a licensed driver, the 16-year-old became involved in a multi-jurisdictional pursuit by law enforcement, resulting in the suspension of Chuy’s license for reckless driving, illegal racing, and possession of illegal explosives (unsanctioned fireworks).
Crew Chief Chuy "Mantis" Colocho
Chuy spent his late teens and early 20’s grounded in the pits of local race venues working as a vehicle technician. His talents eventually landed him on the technical staff of the Cobrabantes car club and racing team – a prestigious Shangrilese circuit team that exclusively used anti-gravity cars. With the Cobrabantes, Chuy expanded his expertise from ground-based vehicles to VTOL and anti-gravity systems. Over the next decade, Chuy rose in the ranks of the Cobrabantes, eventually leading the racing team’s pit crew as Crew Chief.
Shortly before the fall of Shangri-LA, the Cobrabantes helped organize an exodus of civilians from the doomed nation. Chuy and his technical crews were instrumental in securing and retrofitting enough vehicles to make it through the treacherous Mojave Death Zone resulting in over 200 lives saved.
After fleeing Shangri-LA, the Cobrabantes racers, using modified FC-537 Flying Cobras, offered their services to the Pact as a reconnaissance unit. The agile FC-537 can fly high enough to avoid contact with Shangrilese ground defenses and nimble enough to flee from air defenses with enough forewarning.