Phl contingent now complete for 2013 Subaru Impreza Challenge

MANILA, Philippines - After holding its 4th and final leg at the Marquee Mall in Pampanga just last Saturday, Motor Image Pilipinas, the authorized distributor of Subaru vehicles in the country, finally completed its roster of 10 Filipinos that will be sent to Singapore on October 26-29 to compete in the grand finals of the 2013 Subaru Impreza Challenge.

The competition is a unique test of both physical and mental endurance, as it entails participants to lay their hands on a Subaru vehicle and keep them there for the longest time possible, without moving their hands out of the corresponding hand decals. The last person standing wins the competition, and the prize is completely logical to any enthusiast: a brand new Subaru Impreza 2.0i 6-speed MT worth approximately P1.5M in the Philippines.

The Pampanga leg which was held just over the weekend, had a total of 53 participants; 15 of which, were female. This leg was laced with gloomy weather, and tested the participants’ resolve with intermittent rains that were enough to soak their clothes. After all, there is no protection from the elements in this competition; no roof to provide any shelter—only an open space for brave, hardy souls who are ready to be at the mercy of mother nature and maybe, er, hand cramps! At that point, only one free slot remained for the official Philippine contingent...and the lucky winner was Arnel Pido, who recorded a total time of 10 hours 51 minutes and 50 seconds.

This year marks the first time Motor Image Pilipinas has held any provincial legs in the country—the  other two being in Cebu and Davao last August 10 and 17 respectively. Seven finalists were taken from the Manila leg, and one finalist for each provincial counterpart: Cebu, Davao and Pampanga—bringing the total to 10 official representatives for the Philippines.

Interestingly, there has also been a bunch of familiar faces: repeat participants from the previous years who made it to the Philippine contingent but did not win in the grand finals. It is worth knowing that last year’s grand winner—48-year-old Singaporean Tholmas Gan Yu Shen, who lasted an amazing 78 hours and 30 minutes (and who also happens to be married to a Filipina)—competed in the Impreza Challenge repeatedly for several years until he finally won the title. Perhaps this is testament to the fact that indeed, practice eventually makes perfect. However, there has never been a Filipino grand winner, to date. Many speculate that this may just be our lucky year, as we are introducing something different: able challengers from the provinces as well.

When asked about his thoughts regarding the Subaru Palm Challenge coming to Pampanga for the first time, Levy Laus, founder of the Laus Group of companies, which owns Subaru Pampanga; and who is the 2013 C! Magazine Pocholo Ramirez Lifetime Achievement Award winner, said: “This is a recognition of the market that is in Pampanga and Central Luzon. The people of Pampanga and Central Luzon are really fond of beautiful premium cars, such as those of Subaru, and we have proven that with good sales in the area.” A famous advocate of bringing business to the countryside, Levy further expounded that he was really happy that Subaru was conducting provincial legs because “after all, the Philippines is not just Metro Manila.”

All 10 Philippine representatives will get P10,000 each, alongside their all-expense-paid trip to Singapore to compete in the finals. Their mission will not be easy, as they will have to battle it out against challengers from Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam and Cambodia. But fortunately, aside from the grand winner, there will also be a ‘Country Winner’ title awarded to the last person standing from each country. There will also be an ‘Asian Winner’ award for the last person standing from all regional countries, excluding Singapore. Moreover, a Country Team Prize will also be awarded to the longest surviving country, the winner of which, will be computed by adding all the individual team members’ timings together. So there will be many avenues for winning, but only one grand winner of the car.

This endurance contest was first held in Singapore back in 2002, with a total of 120 contestants holding on to three cars. Of late, the number of competitors in the finals has grown to approximately 400, and 10 cars have since been needed to accommodate all hands! Let us show our support to our Filipino challengers and cross our fingers that maybe this time, a Pinoy will emerge as the hardiest of them all.