Gaining five bonus points by topping a skill challenge in a pit stop in Iba, Zambales, Team Iguana seized a slim lead over erstwhile co-leader Team Edge after Stage 8 starting at Alaminos, Pangasinan and ending at the SBMA here Saturday.
Iguana and Edge were expected to figure in a battle royal for the coveted championship in their journey to Eastwood City in Quezon City yesterday with another major contender, the Honda Blazers, featuring commercial/ramp model Illac Diaz, abandoning the race in protest of demerit points slapped them from a previous race.
"They (race officials) have been very inconsistent in their decisions from day one of the race," rued Honda team captain Marc Leviste.
Race director Thumbie Remigio, meanwhile, said: "We took time to investigate matters. We always want to hear all sides."
But despite some problems met along the way, organizers believe the event has already turned a huge success, serving its purpose to be a marketing tool of the Department of Tourism to present the country as a safe, vibrant and fun place to visit.
From Manila in Day One, the IPAR participants have driven through eight tourist destinations in Northern Luzon — first in Baler, Aurora; then Banaue, Ifugao; Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya; Penaranda, Tuguegarao; Laoag, Ilocos Norte; Vigan, Ilocos Sur; Alominos, Pangasinan, and Subic, Zambales.
But it was not a race just based on time. Each team is required to perform certain physical and mental challenges at the control points and pit stops.
In the penultimate stage to Subic, the participants had a stop at Iba, Zambales for a mango-eating challenge topped by Iguana for five bonus points and another stop at the Crystal Beach Resort in San Narciso, Zambales for windsurfing where the Tribu and the Sideways teams also gained five bonus points each.
After eight stages, the Iguanas, composed of Andrew Chinalpan, Orville Bernabe and Dennis Ararao on an orange Nissan Frontier, paced the field with only nine demerit points followed by Edge on Ford Ranger with -14, Tribu on Dodge Dakota with -19, the MP Turbo team of veteran rally driver Mike Potenciano on Toyota Hilux G with -20 then Sideways on Nissan X Trail with -25.
The Iguanas, Edge and Honda have been running toe-to-toe through the first eight stages of the event, operating as a by-product of the "I Love Philippines. Biyahe Na!" advocacy drive of the DOT under Secretary Joseph "Ace" Durano.
DOT’s intention is to institutionalize IPAR into an annual major summer event that could hopefully attract foreign participants and event spectators.
Covering a 2,000-kilometer stretch of the Maharlika Highway and road network, the adventure tourism awards P1 million to the champion, P300,000 to the second placer and P100,000 to the third placer.