When ordinary motorists go beyond the extra mile

One thousand four hundred kilometers is how far one can go on a full tank of Petron Xtra Unleaded.

Team Zayco Hermanos traveled 1,400.4 kilometers in a 1300cc CVT Honda Jazz. The brothers Emilio and Emmanuel Zayco from Kabankalan, Negros Oriental beat motorsports legend, Pocholo Ramirez’s record by 286 kilometers winning for themselves a hefty P200,00 cash and P15,000 worth of gas vouchers.

The Petron Xtra Mile Challenge started at the Bangui Petron station, on the outskirts of Pagudpud, Ilocos Norte. Teams, in varying speeds and while employing various tactics, drove the entire length of Luzon all the way to the southernmost tip in Matnog, Sorsogon and crossed over by ferry to Allen, Samar then backtracked to Nabua, which is a town 30 kilometers southeast of Naga City Camarines Sur. The feat was officially observed by the Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP) and members of the Car Awards Group, Inc. (CAGI).

You’d assume people who could beat a racing legend like Pocholo Ramirez must be experts themselves. Yet the six teams who took on the challenge are all composed of ordinary motorists. Even members of the winning team, the Zayco Hermanos, have no previous experience in fuel economy runs. Businessmen Emilio or Tootsie and Emmanuel or Mansu Zayco may be gear heads or drivers in their own right with their interests in jet skis, motorcycles and offroad 4x4 vehicles, but they were certainly greenhorns when it came to setting a new record in fuel economy — at least before the challenge.

Now the Zayco Hermanos team has figured out the right mix of skill and technique. At the very start, the brothers knew that to win, they needed a combination of skillful driving, a well-maintained car, a scientific approach and efficient fuel. They researched on the Internet the ways to improve their overall driving performance. They made sure that their car was in tiptop condition; they also psychologically readied themselves for the grueling four-day drive. Those are the elements that make winners out of ordinary motorists in a fuel economy challenge and Team Zayco Hermanos proved that.

In second place is the husband-wife tandem of The 37th Team made up of Engineer Michael Asuncion and senior medical technologist Grace Asuncion. They logged 1,390 kilometers earning them P175,000 cash and P15,000 worth of gas vouchers.

Rounding up the top three winners is Team AR composed of Auto Review producer-host Ron de los Reyes and segment host Julienne Cruz. They ran 1,334 kilometers putting them in third place with a cash prize of P150,000 and P15,000 worth of gas vouchers.

Different cars. Different drivers. One fuel. As all the teams surpassed the previous record of 1,114 kilometers, there’s one thing that supposedly remained constant — the excellent fuel-saving qualities of Petron Xtra Unleaded. Petron Technical Manager Willie Toledo explains, "The improved formulation of Petron Xtra Unleaded contains gas-saving boosters that promote a more complete combustion for better fuel economy. Its unique additive system allows it to burn longer with more uniformity and produces more energy to maximize engine power. It also has an excellent detergent package that results in a cleaner engine and improved emissions."

As for Pocholo Ramirez, he never fails to give the impression that he’s still got something under his sleeves. There’s reason to believe that we haven’t heard the last of the racing legend or the last of the Petron Xtra Mile Challenge.