TEAM ISUZU

MANILA, Philippines — Driving in an on-time-all-the-time rally is an experience that a car enthusiast should experience at least once.  The event is known as the Sampaguita Rally and it tests many character traits – not only driving and navigating skills – through a route book that is easy to read, but will likely make one feel stupid if he still misses the way!

Patience and friendships are two virtues that get challenged, for the driver and navigator have to completely trust each other.  The fun starts when doubt comes into the cabin – and that is sure to seep in once hesitation or an error is obvious (such as when one loses his way).

Many friendships have been tested in a Sampaguita Rally. But it looks like the bad feelings that come after losing one’s way in a course, or losing so closely to a rival, goes away after a round of jokes.  Or there won’t be many people joining the STV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge when it comes around every year just as summer starts.

The man behind the ARCC is motoring journalist, Ray Butch Gamboa, Sunshine Television chairman and CEO.  With Butch behind a project like that, the Sampaguita Rally is on its way to being institutionalized as a serious motorsports discipline.

Last Saturday (March 3), now on its fifth Sampaguita Rally, the ARCC flagged off 64 cars (each with a crew of three) at the Clark Freeport Zone in Pampanga. Sixteen car manufacturers and importers fielded four teams each, making the flag-off stage like a showroom of beautiful cars.  (Atty. Felipe Antonio Remollo, CEO of Clark Development Corporation, flagged off the vehicles with Ms. Noemi Garcia, tourism head.)

Participating teams were: Asian Carmakers Corp. (BMW), British United Automobiles (MINI), CATS Motors Inc (Mercedes Benz/Chrysler); Columbian Autocar Corp. (Kia); The Covenant Car Company Inc. (Chevrolet); Ford Group Phils. (Ford/Mazda); Hyundai Asia Resources Inc.; Isuzu Phils. Corp.; Lexus Manila; Mitsubishi Motors Phils; Motor Image Pilipinas (Subaru); Nissan Motor Phils.; PGA Cars Inc. (Audi); Toyota Motor Phils.; Universal Motors Corp. (Nissan Commercial Vehicles); Viking Cars Inc. (Volvo).

Since anyone can join the Sampaguita Rally because it requires no special driving skills – just a lot of patience – there were new faces whose excitement radiated through their serious faces.  There were also the “pros” – the ones who must have driven a hundred rally events, most of them the ones that require special driving skills.  And of course, there were those who were there simply because they enjoyed the company of friends (such as the motoring journalists).

Top executives of the car companies were the celebrities that Saturday.  They were Danny Isla, Lexus Manila president; Art Balmadrid, Isuzu Philippines senior vice president; Genia Domingo, Columbia Autocar president; Nicky Mariano, Motor Image Pilipinas country manager; Froy Dytianquin, Mitsubishi Philipppines vice president; Boying Soriano, Kia’s marketing services manager; and Willy Tee Ten, Auto Hub Group president.

It looked like everyone was there to have fun, except that it would be more fun to win. This year’s defending champion, the Subaru team, must have taken a more serious look to just having fun.  I am sure the teams with the “rally boys” – the ones who used to win in many rally events years ago when I was still actively following the motorsport discipline –were more serious than the others.  Afterall, they would be losing more than just a title in that Saturday affair.

Naturally, there will be good and bad comments about the route, but that’s how competition goes. There are good drivers and really good drivers – and poor sports who blame the route book for their errors!   That will not bother Georges Ramirez, the event director and Chief Steward, who seems to have mastered the skills of creating challenging routes out of ordinary streets. Like last year, Georges even included special stages to allow speed and skill to make one’s name, at least for that day.

The winners of the ARCC will be announced sometime this week; but for people who were there just to have more fun – a trophy can wait.  Maybe next year!