18 years and counting

Yesterday, June 7, 1987, a decade and eight years ago, Jose "Pocholo" Ramirez, the country’s racing "living legend" and this columnist came up with the first episode of the TV show Motoring Today. It was aired on a Sunday afternoon at 3 o’clock over what was then known as PTV-4 just right before the coverage of the then highly rating PBA games, a slot that helped catapult the show immediately to viewers’ awareness.

A good part of the maiden show, which was taped at the Playboy Club of the Silahis Hotel complete with Playboy Bunnies with their backs turned while serving us coffee and drinks, was spent for reminiscing the good old days of motor sports in the country with our first guest, Billy Martinez, a known car enthusiast and active member of the Cam Wreckers Association, providing much of the almost forgotten details.

Production of the early episodes of the show was indeed under Spartan conditions, which lasted for several years. After the initial two shows that were taped at the Silahis Hotel we had to content ourselves with having our continuity on-cam sequences in one of the Card Rooms of Valle Verde Country Club and always with a prayer that nobody would fancy playing mahjong or poker while we were taping or else we would have to move somewhere else in some corner of the club. Why Valle Verde? Simply because Pocholo was then the General Manager of the Club and that can be a little convenient for everybody as he didn’t have to leave the club premises and could easily attend to member’s needs even while we were taping. At that time we only had one camera and one light (the one attached to the camera) to shoot the whole show including all the different portions that made up the show’s magazine format.

From the very start the show already had segments that dished out step-by-step instructions on vehicle maintenance and repair and the basics of the proper and safe way to drive. Motoring Today also had the rightful claim to be the first and only TV program that showed all the legs of the World Formula One Series, the World Rally Championships, major race series in the US and other motor sports coverage from around the world, thanks to Pocholo’s son Kookie, who was then staying in the US and had all the time and interest to tape them for us to air on the show. There was not much mess with property rights then and there was no Bernie Ecclestone to squeeze every penny for any TV exposure of Formula 1.

Pochie and this writer also found ourselves by our lonesome while covering motoring, motor sports or auto industry events — there wasn’t much of a motoring media to speak of then — we were the motoring media. There was nobody in TV bothering about local and international motor sports, traffic management in the metro or what new automobile was being launched by the very few auto assemblers then — except for the fast developing "Sunday viewing habit" — Motoring Today.

Well, after 18 years we are still very much around. We still have the same passion, maybe even stronger now with quite a couple of shows already forming a bandwagon, to bring information about motoring, motor sports and the motoring industry to the general motoring public. We still have with us the same kind of fire in our bellies, to help in our own little way, solve some of the day-to-day motoring problems that affect the motoring public. Maybe this time with more intensity as we now encourage further our viewers to come out and bring these problems to us by giving out free T-shirts for doing so.

"Up to when are you guys going to do this?" To this question that normally comes up during this time of the year when we celebrate our anniversary, Pochie and I would always jokingly answer, "Until the time when we would be racing in our wheelchairs!" A joke? Maybe not. 18 years came by without us hardly noticing it, except when we would meet some professionals in cocktails or parties, some doctor or lawyer telling us that they have been watching us since their high school days. Well, we have served the motoring public for 18 years — what’s another 18 more?

Isuzu Alterra’s technical superiority

The Shangri-La in Makati was the venue for the very successful launching of the ALTERRA, the latest addition to Isuzu Philippines Corporation’s very impressive stable of powerful, dependable and easy to maintain vehicles.

Isuzu describes the Alterra as, "The new lifestyle recreational vehicle with the refinement of a passenger car and the brute force of a sport utility vehicle — the new sport recreational vehicle that has all the good looks of an SUV, all the versatile features of a multipurpose mover and all the creature comforts of a passenger sedan."

Behind all the rhetoric is a litany of technical specs that Isuzu considers to have made the Alterra indeed technically ahead if not altogether superior among all the rest in its category.

Starting with its power plant — the 4JJ-1 I-TEQ — a third generation common-rail direct injection diesel engine, it supplies the highest pressure to its electronically controlled injection nozzles among the other engines in its class. Common-rail pressure is the main key to better diesel engine performance, since higher pressure naturally results in more efficient fuel combustion. The 3.0-liter, 16-valve double overhead camshaft (DOHC) configuration produces a maximum of 146 ps of power, a 20-percent improvement from a non-common-rail unit and a maximum torque of 30 kg-m at a considerably long range, from as low as 1400 to as high as 3400 rpm.

The highly advanced diesel engine is mated either to a 5-speed manual transmission or a 4-speed automatic with overdrive, grade logic, direct electronic shaft control and power mode.

Riding comfort and stability is courtesy of an advanced suspension system called FLEX RIDE, which features independent double wishbones with torsion bar and gas-sealed, twin-tube multi piston shock absorbers in front and Flex Ride leaf springs in the rear.

Much are still unsaid here about this new Isuzu offering in the visibly congested SUV market, which can make it as one of the top contenders in this category and I shall leave them all to you to discover as you check out the Alterra in any of the Isuzu Showrooms located all over the country.

Congratulations to Isuzu Philippines Corporation for its successful launch of the Alterra.

Total safety – a priority for Honda

Honda Cars Philippines calls on all owners of 2001 up to 2004 Honda Civics to get in touch with any authorized Honda dealer or service outlet nationwide for a voluntary replacement of the metal bands that hold the fuel tank in place. Replacement of affected parts will be carried out free of charge. Although letters of notice had been sent, concerned Civic owners are advised to call their respective dealers or the Honda Hotline at 1-800-1000-HONDA (46632) so that an orderly manner of the campaign may be carried out.

HCPI’s Arnel Doria had made known that locally-made metal bands have been found to be longer, causing the slackening of the metal bands that hold the fuel tank in place. Continuous vibration may weaken the bands over time and may cause it to snap and may cause the fuel tank to detach. With the total safety of Honda vehicle users as priority at all times, Honda Cars Philippines is taking this voluntary safety recall campaign to replace all fuel tank bands of affected units.

With this kind of manufacturer’s mindset, who needs a lemon law?

Pit Lane Notes

David Coulthard spent nine years with McLaren Mercedes before he was released in favor of a younger Juan Pablo Montoya. His Formula 1 career was in limbo for almost the entire duration of the off-season, before Red Bull (formerly Jaguar) came to his rescue. Both parties couldn’t be more pleased with their team-up, and both are already looking into extending their contract to 2006. They are still five months away from the end of their existing agreement, but Coulthard reportedly believes that Red Bull has unlimited potential, and the fact that there is a possibility of the team scoring Ferrari engines next year will no doubt make them even more competitive. On Red Bull’s side, the fact that DC narrowly missed getting them into the podium twice gives them no reason to change something that doesn’t appear to be broken.

BAR Honda was this close to losing Jenson Button to BMW-Williams last year, and they are doing everything in their power this season to keep that whole fiasco from happening again. Big boss Nick Fry reportedly said that their goal for the season was to secure their first F1 win that will, in turn, convince F1’s Golden Boy to stay with their team. Ultimately, it will still be Jenson’s decision, but it’s no secret that the youngster has been chasing after a victory for the longest time. Maybe that will be the key to keeping him with the team.

One guy stands in the way of motor sports development?

The distinguished men and women who are currently running SBMA now may not be aware that a single person in their midst, and not even in their level, is currently playing hard ball with the very dedicated people behind the meteoric development of local motor sports, causing its now current retrogression.

The countless local motor sports enthusiasts have been wondering why there have not been races in Subic for quite a while now. These are the races that also helped Subic beacon locals to come and see the other sights within the former Naval Base before or after watching a race.

Why is it taking a long time for the Subic International Raceway to open and continue the much-needed development of motor sports — an unquestionable factor in the development of local tourism?

It is because one single person, whose job is reportedly to look after the welfare of locators inside Subic, has decided to play the role of GOD in deciding whether there will be a Subic International Raceway or not and the esteemed members of the Board who are running the affairs of Subic are not aware that the situation is like a time bomb that’s about to explode as many motor sports enthusiasts are already asking and wondering why this guy is making it so hard.

I’m sorry but I’m very much concerned simply because I was one of those who worked hard in my own little way to bring back Circuit Racing in the country through the Subic International Raceway. And I know those who are currently continuing the efforts to further develop motor sports in Subic are there for the passion and dedication and not for material gains. Now, why is this *^8>?#@%!?! standing in the way of motor sports development?

I implore the responsible and respectable people who are running SBMA to look into this. Please, for the sake of motor sports.

Happy Motoring!!!

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