Focus on the Ford Focus in Pattaya

The whole trip did not start right. The Airbus 320, or whatever its model number was, of Philippine Airlines was the most uncomfortable plane I have ever had the chance to ride on for an overseas trip and being in economy class didn’t help either. But I’ll have to count my blessings because according to the plane’s apologetic crew there’s still a smaller and a more cramped plane in their fleet. Now, the problem with the plane we were flying was that its original design was for a single class set up. But then business class fare is almost double than that of economy and there will always be people who’ll have the money or those traveling on corporate funds, that would want to fly with more comfort. Therefore, I guess PAL decided to have 12 bigger seats fitted in. And that change in configuration created an adverse domino effect to the discomfort of passengers. For an accepted ratio of 50 passengers to a toilet, I think there were 147 of us queuing for two toilets located at the back of the plane. The traffic would have naturally split in two directions if there was a toilet located up front and not have everybody all lumped at the back waiting in line.

Despite the more or less 3-hour discomfort of this particular flight to Thailand, a preview of better things to come came by way of a very smooth landing at the Bangkok International Airport. I remember seeing the Bulletin’s motoring editor and fellow SPMJ founding member Pinky Colminares with her eyes shut while we were talking as she waited for the "thug and jerk" that usually come with the plane’s wheels touching ground. But to her surprise the "thug" never came and she said while we were already taxing down the runway towards the terminal, "Have we landed already? If I remember right the pilot’s name was Capt. George Alvarez, and my kudos to the pilot for being PAL’s saving grace during that claustrophobic trip.

And as I said the very smooth landing was some hint of what great things that lie ahead.

To begin with, as soon as we got off our bus from the airport to the Learning Resort, a place for seminars, retreats and the like located in Pattaya, Thailand, we were warmly welcomed by no less than the pretty and young but dynamic top honcho for Ford’s corporate affairs in the region, Ms. Pauline Kee, Asean public affairs director together Ford Group Philippines likewise pretty and now very slim Hazel Ludovice, who very ably took care of the Philippine media contingent. Welcome kisses from these two very charming ladies were enough to erase whatever claustrophobic memories of the flight that lingered in my subconscious.

Well, what happened next came like clockwork precision and efficiency in this Ford event dubbed as "InFocus BIRA 2000, which actually served as the region’s media launch of the Ford Focus.

Ford’s top executives in the region were on hand to introduce to us everything about the Focus — the best selling car in Ford’s history and currently the best selling car in Italy and the UK, having sold almost five million units worldwide and the new Focus, already having a worldwide sales of 115,000. Leading the troop was David N. Alden, executive director — Marketing, Sales and Service, together with Ian Constance, chief program engineer, Focus Carline and Paul Gibson, chief designer who’s an integral part of the team responsible for the evolution of the new generation Focus — all from Ford Asia-Pacific and Africa.

From the well-prepared and well-thought of presentations we learned that the Focus is actually a product born out of Ford’s 37 World Rally Championship victories, including specific wins for the Focus in both rally races in the frozen grounds and sub-zero temperatures of the Arctic circle in Finland and in the close to the equator blistering heat and dusty gravel roads of Mexico. It’s the lessons learned by Ford engineers while competing in these events that drive the development of the road car, leading to such innovations as the Focus’ Control Blade independent rear suspension and improved braking system.

The presenters called them the "Ford Focus Brand Pillars" — three powerful elements that are present in the Focus, which actually set it apart and far away from its competitors in the same class — European Styling, Superb Driving Dynamics and German Engineering.

"A car that has the good looks of Italian styling combined with the reliability, quality and durability of German engineering" is how the Focus is being bannered. The statement is aptly supported by both its looks and built although it has its complex implications in terms of who makes good-looking cars and who makes high-quality automobiles, which I prefer not to dwell on.

Now, the driving dynamics of the Focus were best demonstrated in the driving exercises on the second day of our stay in Pattaya. It was at the Bira Racing Circuit where the journalists from the region went through some driving activities that put into fore the outstanding attributes of its excellent ground-hugging suspension system, easy-handling maneuverability and control, superior braking performance and the Focus’ exceptional riding comfort.

At the end of the day the Ford Focus went past the close scrutiny of the motoring journalists with flying colors. It took a long time for Ford to bring it to this part of the world but I guess it is worth the wait for many auto enthusiasts who favor the combination of looks, quality and driving performance.

A sidelight of the Ford event was a trip to the shooting range where the motoring journalists were given a taste of firing live rounds of .38 caliber revolvers. The Pinoys top this one, with Ardie Lopez of Auto Extreme topping everybody else. I have no excuse. Despite the experience I shot miserably with two "out of the circle" hits — unforgivable. But the Pinoys top all the rest from the region. After all, local journalists, being part of the world’s endangered species, must know how to shoot straight.

Thank you to Ford Group Philippines for a very informative and enjoyable trip.

Pit Lane Notes

Trouble is brewing with Jenson Button — he could be facing a year-long sabbatical from Formula One Racing. If you recall, BAR-Honda and Williams played tug-of-war for his services last season. He had a live contract with BAR when he signed a deal with Williams. Now everything he did is blowing up in his face, because although he is intent on remaining at BAR Honda, Williams is equally focused on acquiring him. Unfortunately for him, he has an existing contract with them for 2006. What is it with Button and the words breach of contract? Jenson no longer wants to leave BAR because of their excellent performance thus far this season, and he definitely has no plans of joining Williams after BMW bought Sauber, thus leaving them without an engine manufacturer. This is quite a mess. It would be extremely detrimental to his career if he has no choice but to take a year-long break from racing. Let’s see how the young Briton wriggles his way out of this one.

Rubens Barrichello will be replaced by Sauber’s Felipe Massa at the end of the season. Michael Schumacher reportedly said that although he will miss his Brazilian teammate, he is also quite excited to be working with Massa. Rubens’ fans should be pleased to know that he will now be in charge of his own racing fate — you can be sure that, with his high market value, he will no longer be forced to follow ‘team orders’, if you know what I mean.

It doesn’t add up

How can a very prestigious European car manufacturer that’s vaunted to produce some of the most sought-after and technologically advanced automobiles in the world have a "jerk" for a local country manager?

If what have been written about this expatriate were only half true, his head office should immediately fly him out of here as any second he further stays is another second of embarrassment for his whole country. I heard one journalist saying that, "This guy must have failed miserably in his history classes because he’s unaware of the lessons that his country has learned during the Second World War, which is, there is no such thing as "race supremacy".

Filipinos are known for their very warm and sincere hospitality but having been under the heavy thumb of colonizers who stayed for centuries, many are already aware when enough is enough. We would always have our arms open for foreign visitors who would want to visit and stay in our shores to share with them our beautiful country but we no longer have the patience for arrogance and racial discrimination — for people who look down at Pinoys. We would also frown on foreigners’ hooliganism. Let that be the monopoly of the locals.

I would be very interested to get into the bottom of these issues because if only some of the allegations were true (knowing the journalist who wrote the piece, he has always been sure of his sources), it would improve my ratings in reading people. I thought this guy was really a "jerk" the first time I met him and I may just be proven right. But then, it won’t add up as he works for a very respectable company. But then again, big respectable companies also do make mistakes. But if ever, this could be the second mistake on the same guy.

Whatever, let’s be fair to the guy and think that he’s innocent until proven guilty despite having what has been claimed as "unimpeachable" sources. But I’ll definitely try to know the truth, not only to find out if I was right about his being a "jerk", but to know if the Pinoys are really being abused.

Motoring Tip of the Week

Being constantly aware of what’s around you while driving may not guarantee that you’ll be accident-free on the road but it would definitely increase your chances of avoiding getting into one.

There is nothing that pre-empts the rule on keeping your eyes on the road always while driving to know what’s ahead of you. But part of being aware is to also know what’s on your sides and what’s behind you. And to best keep you always abreast is to regularly look at your rear and side mirrors to be constantly informed of the presence and position of other vehicles on the road.

Use those mirrors regularly to know what’s around you. They are not there for you to check on your hair or make up.

Happy Motoring!!!

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