PAEC holds adventurous 2nd leg of Bridgestone Cup

MANILA, Philippines - Philippine Allied Enterprises Corporation (PAEC), the official distributor of Bridgestone tires in the Philippines, ended the month of September with a bang as it held the 2nd leg of its Bridgestone Cup last Sunday, this time at the Clark International Speedway in Angeles, Pampanga. The Bridgestone Cup is a 3-leg driving competition that tests its participants’ driving skills both on and off the road, while using its superior products. The competition is facilitated by TRS (Tuason Racing School) and also sponsored by Caltex.

The first leg was held last August 26 and it highlighted sports cars in a high-speed sports driving competition, while using the Potenza S001: a popular tire of choice for high-performance cars all over the world. This time, on its 2nd leg, the Bridgestone Cup featured the Dueler A/T 697 (also known as the Dueler All-Terrain) and the Dueler M/T 673 (Dueler Mud Terrain) tires, in a rugged driving competition of SUV’s.

“We were looking for more unique and exciting challenges, something different from the first leg of the Bridgestone Cup,” said VP for Marketing of the PAEC, Philip Gan. “This is why we thought that an off-road competition can bring us to the next level,” he explained.

Last Sunday’s competition consisted of two courses: a mud-terrain course and a dirt-road precision-driving track. Twelve teams with two members each participated in the competition. I was teamed-up with C! Magazine’s veteran racer, George Ramirez, who was keen to give me off-road driving tips and a crash course on basic racing.

The mud-terrain course consisted of rutty uphills and downhills, extremely large puddles, twists and turns, and two additional mini games within it: a buzz-wire challenge and a jigsaw puzzle! Each team member was to complete the course individually, in the presence of a professional guide. Oh, and on top of taking note of the time, the challenge also required that each participant displace the least number of balls possible. The 12 balls were nested in a small net located at the back of the SUV, and each ball that fell out during the course of the race garnered the participant a 10-second penalty to his/her elapsed time. Hence, a relatively smooth ride was crucial for one’s victory. Bridgestone’s Dueler mud-terrain 673 tires did its magic as it provided our 4x4s with aggressive performance in the rain-intensified mud, albeit still with a comfortable ride.

Meanwhile, the dirt-road track focused on precision driving with its tricky, slippery twists and turns, and a tight rotunda in the middle of the course. Each bamboo pole or cone that a participant knocked down during his turn gained him a penalty of 10 seconds. Using Isuzu’s famed D-Max pickups, it was a test of accuracy amidst speed. And this time, Bridgestone’s Dueler All-Terrain 697 tires boasted the benefits of its tread’s ultra-modern design by providing maximum traction and precise steering response in yet a consistently comfortable ride.

“We also hope that the second leg of the Bridgestone Cup can promote safety in driving,” remarked Gan, explaining that “after the competition, drivers will be given the trust and confidence in our products.”

The grand prize for the leg was a winner-take-all bonanza consisting of P10,000 cash, P6,000 worth of Caltex fuel and a P10,000 Bridgestone gift certificate.

The third and last leg of the Bridgestone Cup will be held next month, October 28 at the Batangas Race Circuit. No details have yet been revealed, except for the fact that it will be an eco-themed competition.