They won’t settle for just one

As we get ourselves ready for the next staging of the welcomed successful revival of the Sampaguita Rally, the consensus among those who have gotten into the groove of joining this unique but keenly competitive motor sport gets to be clearer by the day, which is that a “once a year” run is “bitin” or not enough. 

In answer to the growing clamor, which started immediately after the awarding ceremonies for this year’s winners, the organizers have decided that the 2013 STV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge (STV-ARCC) shall have two legs. The 1st, which is to be held on March 23 shall be in the scenic and challenging winding road networks of Tagaytay City. While the 2nd leg, which will be twice in extent as promised by the again commissioned rally director, Georges Ramirez, shall hopefully be run in the equally challenging maze of surrounding roads of and those within Subic and Clark combined.  

For the benefit of those who may have been born around the time or after the Marshall Law years of the Philippines and may be too young to know, what was known as the Tulip Rally in Europe but was localized in name when it was brought to the country to be known as the Sampaguita Rally, was the biggest motor sport event of the 60s. The last one staged had the enormity of having to cover almost the length of Luzon. The big names participating then included motor sports icons in the likes of my late partner in the TV show Motoring Today who was then dubbed as the “living legend” and “dean” of Philippine motor sports, Jose “Pocholo” Ramirez, Dante Silverio, the late Conrado “Dodo” Ayuyao, to date the longest who sat as  president of what was then known as the Philippine Motor Association (PMA) now named Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP), also its immediate past president, the late Tony Mapa, the present president, Gus Lagman, current SBMA director, Ramy “El Bruto” Diez, long-time AAP official Johnny Angeles, rally driver “par excellence” and AAP motor sports head honcho, Mandy Eduque (who actually joined in 2011 and showed the green horns how to run the rally) and a host of other big names (too many to mention here) in the country’s elite motor sports community of that era.      

The objective of the competition is to run closest to the prescribed time allotted to travel from one given point to another and be “on time all the time” anywhere in between the given points. Going faster or slower than the prescribed time would mean a demerit for every second under or in excess of the given time. The team that gets the least number of demerits wins. Because of the basic concept behind the motor sport, which is to be “on time, all the time”, winning is hinged on combined team efforts of skillful driving, heady and quick time calculations and alert route navigation. Any weak part of this 3-ring chain immediately spells failure.

Other major components needed for a successful run include strict adherence to road safety and the exercise of strict discipline of obeying traffic rules and regulations at all times as doing otherwise, and be caught means outright disqualification from the competition and being barred from further running to cease the possibility of putting the other participants’ and other road users’ safety in jeopardy. This component of the competition was a driving force for Sunshine TV and Socio Com Foundation for Asia to adopt the event as part of their advocacy program to promote road safety together with other projects of the same nature like the Young Street Smarts Road Safety School Tour, which are free road safety seminars/workshops conducted for high school students.

Next year would actually be the 4th major staging of the now established auto industry event, although two other practice runs were held several years apart in the past. The first major one in 2010 immediately established a record of sorts with a starting grid of over 60 vehicles, the likes of which were never seen during the glory days of the motor sport in the 1960s. The record-breaking starting grid was flagged-off by Mandy Eduque from the Home Depot at the Ortigas Business Center with the major stages inside Subic mostly within the Naval Mag area. The Individual Team Champion was the Subaru Team composed of Elbert Cuenca/Raul Ylanan. The Corporate Team Champion Trophy was taken home by the Ford Team.

In 2011 it was Subic once again with the flag-off done right at the Subic International Airport by SBMA’s tourism head Raul Marcelo. The Individual Team honors went to the Subaru Team of Eric Valera/Maochi Aurelio/Jic Valera, while the Champion Corporate Team was the Motor Image-Subaru Team.

Last year the venue was moved to Clark with then Clark Development Corp. president Ping Remollo doing the honors of officially sending-off all the competing automobiles of varied models. The Individual Team Championship was claimed by the Kia Team composed of Raul Asuncion/Steven Acayan/Barry Ortiz as the MINI Team of Willy Tee Ten romped-off with the 2012 Corporate Team Championship Trophy—the defending champion.

Participation in the STV-ARCC is limited to invited members of the local automotive industry. Considering the actual rules for the conduct of the sport where all vehicles would have to be flagged-off with at least one-minute intervals only a limited number of participants can be accommodated for a more manageable run, as a 60-vehicle starting grid would take all of 60 minutes or an hour to get all automobiles on the road at 1-minute intervals.

It is a much-awaited annual event of the automobile manufacturers and importers as it gives them an opportunity to showcase their model line-up while participating in a very visible and safe motor sport (it’s not a race), which espouses road safety, an advocacy which they are major stakeholders of. Besides, the event brings all the industry players together in a very friendly but very competitive sport that’s very much relevant to their business—a much welcome rarity.   

Considering the present format, this year’s staging is on a must, ‘2-leg participation’. There will be distinct Corporate and Individual Team winners for each leg and an overall 2013 Corporate Team Champion and an Individual Team Champion by combining the scores of the two legs with the Tagaytay leg equivalent to 30% while the Subic-Clark combined leg would represent 70% of the aggregate score.

Indeed, there’s going to be a lot of very intense competition that can be expected from the participants in this year’s STV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge but it’s going to be a lot of excitement and fun and very friendly too.

Ok guys, nothing like being always “on time all the time”!

Hard to put a good man down

Word has it that a former top marketing executive of a local automotive company who opted to unceremoniously retire due to management style conflicts with the then-president of his company, despite his sterling tract record of bringing the company’s brand from a known two-wheeler to one of the most respected automobile brands in the country is back on the saddle, this time to once again try to steer to glory one of the newest kids expected to hit the block next year.

Known for his humility, he still wants to keep mum about his new-found fame. Now, for those who used to greet him ever so often when he was still a man of influence but have all seemed to looked the other way when things became different, I guess you’ll start making a beeline to the gentleman’s door.

C’est la vie! 

Happy Motoring!!!

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