History Unfolds this Saturday

The 2010 STV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge flags off at the Ortigas Home Depot located along Julia Vargas Avenue, Pasig City this Saturday, March 6.

The event is a much-awaited revival of the “sampaguita rally”, a major motor sport event that had its glory days in the 60s, which saw the participation and fierce competition among motor sports icons like the late “racing legend” Pocholo Ramirez, Dante Silverio, Mandy Eduque, to name a few. It is not a race but a contest that relies on driving skills, route mastery and time management to stay “on time, all the time” all throughout the competition. It is a motor sports discipline that does not require big spending for complex vehicle modification and expensive maintenance in order to excel. One’s everyday automobile can be used considering that this type of road rally is mostly run in roads with tarmac surfaces.

With a record 65 automobiles expected on the “biggest-ever” starting grid from 13 teams representing the country’s major automobile manufacturers and distributors that fielded 5 vehicles each, the seven o’clock early morning flag off will be a milestone in Philippine motor sports history. It is also one of the biggest events of the local auto industry for this year.

Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP) motor sports director and veteran rally driver, Mandy Eduque is the flag off’s keynote speaker, who’ll also administer the oath of sportsmanship among the participants and their teams and eventually officially flag off the auto rally.

From flag off, the participants shall go through a “transport stage” all the way to Subic, passing through the world-class NLEX and the smooth and scenic SCTEX, which shall be timed. Those coming earlier than the prescribed time shall incur demerits as well as those that come in late – the basic principle of the competition of being “on time, all the time”. All the prescribed time schedules from one point to another in the rally are based on traveling at legal speeds, one of the major concerns of the event as it encourages safe driving at all times.

The greater part of the competition shall be within the Subic and Cubi Point areas, through their maze of roads in the “naval mag” and in the business center. The auto rally’s route shall pass through a great deal of Subic’s tourist offerings. But Rally Chief Steward, professional race driver Georges Ramirez, of the famous Pocholo Ramirez racing clan had vowed to make the route exciting and highly challenging to both the experience and novice participants. To further heighten the excitement of the event a special stage will see participants taking on the twists and turns of the Pocholo Ramirez Subic International Raceway likewise on a timed lap, which Georges said he had designed to be exciting to many.

The level of competition in the event is expected to very high considering that many of the industry players have commissioned veteran drivers and navigators as well as experienced motoring media members to make up their teams combined with some of their dealers and loyal customers. The contest is “prestige-based” with the Team Champion getting to hold on to the prestigious title and symbolic trophy of excellence (courtesy of Momo) for a year, until some other team claims it. Any team that wins the title for 3 times, not necessarily consecutive, gets to keep the trophy permanently. To keep the competition really tight, awards will also be given to the 1st to the 3rd runners up both for Team Champion and Tandem (Driver/Navigator) Champion. Aside from the major awards there will also be awards of recognition to stage winners and for those that register the most precise driving having the least demerits and those who come exactly on time with no demerits at all.

If you want to see history unfold with the biggest grid ever for a “sampaguita rally” in the history of Philippine motor sports, come to the Ortigas Home Depot on Saturday, March 6 at 6 am and witness a rare convergence of the country’s auto industry’s current automobile models in one single event, another industry milestone from STV, Sunshine Television, producers of long-running alternative developmental TV programs like Motoring Today (now on its 23rd year) Business & Leisure (on its 20th year) and Auto Focus (13th year) and organizers of the yearly auto industry events like the Auto Focus Automobile of the Year – People’s Choice Awards and the Auto Focus Motor Show & Auto Expo.

The 2010 STV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge is being staged in cooperation with the BCDA, developers and managers of the SCTEX, the MNTC, the managers of the NLEX, with participating sponsors, Ortigas Home Depot, Pepsi, CA Exhibits, Momo Steering Wheels, Gerry’s Grill and official fuel, Caltex Techron.

The “larger than life” Chevy Cruze

That’s how Atty. Albert Arcilla, the always nattily-dressed auto industry veteran who’s managing director and chief operating officer of The Covenant Car Company described in his speech what Chevrolet can make everyone who drives a Chevy Cruze – “larger than life” – during its well-attended unveiling last Friday night, February 26 at the open grounds along EDSA, Mandaluyong City beneath the largest LED billboard in the country.

The novel launch of the 2010 Cruze was held inside a modern 60-foot bubble tent. The novelty, I would surmise, symbolizing the change that both loyal and new customers of Chevrolet vehicles can expect with the take over of its management in the country by The Covenant Car Company, Inc. (TCCCI), GM Southeast Asia’s newly-appointed exclusive importer and distributor of Chevrolet automobiles and parts in the Philippines.

Guests during the event, which include members of the country’s motoring media, GM dealers and also those from the auto industry were greeted by TCCCI board chairman and former Central Bank governor, Mr. Jose L. Cuisia, Jr. who, in his speech likewise talked about positive change, which was echoed by special guest Mr. Steve Carlisle, General Motors president for South East Asian Region who added his full support in the change of management of GM in the Philippines. There was also the very visible presence welcoming and entertaining guests during the launch is TCCCI’s Chairman Emeritus, Mr. Richard Lee. With more than three decades of success and meaningful presence in the Philippine automotive sector and with an array of varied remarkable auto brands under his tutelage, Richard is indeed a recognized pillar of the country’s automotive industry.

The Chevrolet Cruze is being offered in the local market in several variants – L, LS and LT trim all equipped with 1.8-liter, 138-horsepower engine, with 6-speed manual or automatic transmission. A visit to the nearest GM dealership would easily initiate you to the many technical and aesthetic attributes of this new kid on the block.

Congratulations to The Covenant Car Company for the successful launch of the 2010 Chevy Cruze – way to go, Albert.

Ease your nerves Toyota owners

We recently got some very vital inputs from two top honchos of Toyota in the Philippines, namely, Mr. Danny Isla, president of Lexus-Manila and concurrent 1st vp for marketing of Toyota Motor Philippines Corporation (TMPC) and Mr. Raymond Rodriguez, 1st vp for sales of TMPC.

Briefly, what we gathered from an on-camera interview with the two gentlemen for our business and lifestyle TV program Business & Leisure was that “the recall, which was more pre-emptive, was a voluntary initiative from Toyota because of some potentially defective parts. Lexus and Toyota models that have been sold and available in the Philippines are not included in the recall simply because the parts in use here are from Japan and neighboring ASEAN countries. Basically there are two major car parts suppliers in the US, of which one of them is the source of the problem.”

Danny firmly joined by Raymond, in no uncertain terms are assuring Toyota and Lexus owners and buyers that they can have peace of mind driving these high quality vehicles.

With that we hope we have answered the numerous queries that have come our way through this column and through our TV shows Motoring Today and Auto Focus about the raging issue.

Taking into account how this current leader in the global automotive industry is getting quite a beating in the American media, not to mention in the US Congress, I now fully understand why, in one press conference in Japan during the Tokyo Motor Show some years back, a top executive of Toyota Motor Japan said, “No, we don’t want to be number one in the world.”

There’s an old farmers’ saying, “The tallest stalk gets cut by the sickle first.”

15th Annual AAP Motorsports Awards

In fitting ceremonies held at The Grove, Rockwell, awards for top-performing motor sports disciples for 2009 were handed out by the Automotive Association of the Philippines (AAP) last Friday, February 26.

The Driver of the Year Awardees include: Don Thomas Pastor for Touring, Patrick Mendiola for Slalom, Carlos Anton for Hillclimb, Joseph Anthony Orduna for Karting and Harold Taring for 4x4 Off Road.

The awards were handed out by Mandy Eduque, AAP chairman, motor sports committee and Executive Director and vp Johnny Angeles.

The event was hosted by motor sports icon Mike Potentiano and radio personality Lindy.

Congratulations to all the awardees.

Happy Motoring!!!

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