Everybody's raring to go!

Judging by the highly energized competitive spirit that pervaded during the general briefing for the Caltex 2011 STV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge (ARCC) held last Saturday, February 26, we are expecting some serious competition come Saturday, March 5 when rally teams from the country’s major automobile manufacturers, importers and distributors congregate in Subic.

This is actually the 4th staging of this motor sport event that Sunshine TV (producers of alternative developmental TV programs like Motoring Today, Business & Leisure and Auto Focus) holds exclusively for the country’s auto industry, which, judging by the increasing eager response, is shaping up to be an institutional yearly industry affair.

The ARCC is actually a revival of what was known as the Sampaguita “on time, all the time” Rally, which had its peak popularity during the 60s when then motor sports icons in the likes of the late “racing legend” Pocholo Ramirez, Dante Silverio, the late former AAP (Automobile Association of the Philippines) presidents Dodo Ayuyao and Tony Mapa, the current AAP president Gus Lagman, AAP pillar Johnny Angeles, sportsman Mandy Eduque, to name a very few were known to have fiercely competed.

This particular motor sport event is not a race but basically a test of competence in route map reading and interpretation, precise time management and driving skill. The team who best interprets the symbols that guide the route and comes closest to the time allotted to travel from one stage to another while being on time at any point between these stages wins the competition. Scores are determined by the number of demerits meted out for every second that a team is found to be late or early at any given point of each stage. The times are established by marshals that are on unknown checkpoints located all throughout the route. The team with the least demerits wins.

As this motor sport event has some of its stages run on public roads, it is a must for all participants to obey all traffic laws and regulations. Anyone cited for any infringement by traffic authorities would mean an outright disqualification from the competition. It calls for precision driving as unsafely speeding would make you reach the prescribed destination point too early and would mean demerits or unsafely driving too slow would also mean the same fate. And it’s because of the nature of the rules of the competition that convinced road safety advocates, Socio Com Foundation for Asia and Sunshine TV to make it part of their yearly activities that promote road safety alongside their Young Street Smarts Club weekly portion on the TV show Motoring Today that teaches the meaning of traffic signs and road markings, right of way rules, basics of road courtesy, the danger of drunk driving, etc., and that of the Young Street Smart’s Road Safety School Tour, which are free seminars/workshops on the same topics that are conducted yearlong in different schools for free.

Last year’s staging saw the participation of 13 Rally Teams from the local auto industry while a total of 16 teams have signed up for this year’s edition. Last year’s starting grid with 63 automobiles was historically established as the biggest in the history of the motor sport. Although we have more participating teams this year, we have limit the number of cars per team to 4 from last year’s 5 but increased the maximum of crew members from only 2 to 3 members composed of driver, route navigator and time navigator this year for better management. The complete list of participating Corporate Teams include Audi/Porsche, BMW, Chevrolet, Ford/Mazda, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Kia, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Nissan-NMPI, Subaru, Toyota, UMC-Nissan and Volvo.

This year’s event is being presented by Caltex with Techron in cooperation with SBMA and Socio Com Foundation for Asia. We find it fitting to express our appreciation to the “ladies of Caltex”, namely Veronica Pangilinan and Marilen Dalistan who found the association of their very prestigious product, Caltex with Techron with such an auto industry mega event very apt and timely. Likewise we thank the administrator of SBMA, Mr. Armand Arezza; Deputy Administrator for Business Group, Mr. Raul Marcelo and Subic International Airport general manager Brig. Gen. Marcelo Santos for their full support for the event, which inarguably not only promotes Subic as a destination but also highlights the different tourist spots that it can offer.

Rally Director and Chief Steward, Georges Ramirez of the legendary Ramirez Racing Clan, assisted by associates Mikko David and Patrick Chua have designed a more exciting and challenging rally route that shall flag off from the Subic International Airport and run through the maze of roads within Subic including those of the famous Naval Mag, which sometimes seem to lead nowhere. Georges, son of the late “racing legend” Pocholo Ramirez has also added some surprise special stages to make it more exciting than last year’s, which was also similarly held in this former US Naval Base.

The competition offers no cash prizes but only Trophies and Awards and the unquantifiable and immeasurable “bragging rights” for the different difficult feats that come with the excitement and mind boggling challenges that the sport offers all its participants.

Last year’s Individual Team Champion Award went to the Motor Image – Subaru Rally Team while the Corporate Team Champion Award went to the Ford-Mazda Rally Team. Any Corporate Rally Team that wins the championship 3 times (not necessarily consecutively) gets to keep the very prestigious symbolical Champion’s Trophy permanently.

The list of participants this year includes some formidable names in local motor sports like, Mandy Eduque, Mike Potenciano, Louis Ramirez, Art Guevarra, Mike Reyes, Steve Acayan, Raul Asuncion, Denise Santos. They run alongside members of the media that also have ample exposure to motor sports events like James Deakin, Brian Afuang, Anjo Perez, Jeff Reyes et al. But as I emphasized during last Saturday’s briefing to the other participants that may be overwhelmed by the mention of such names and previous experiences in motor sports, “Don’t be discouraged. Remain competitive, because in a Sampaguita “on time, all the time” Rally – may tsamba!”

Call time for all participants on Saturday is at 8:30 am with flag off ceremonies starting at 9 o’clock and the actual flag off commencing right after.

The STV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge is presented this year by Caltex with Techron in cooperation with SBMA and Socio Com Foundation for Asia has established itself as the country’s automotive industry’s showcase current models from its entry level to the most luxurious.

The competition will be keen, exciting and utterly challenging but extremely friendly and wholesome. It’s not a contest that determines the best automobiles that the industry has to offer, but the most skillful of the different crews that will run them – and that’s pressure to all the participants.

Happy Motoring!!!

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