Top Gear takes Round 1 of Honda Media Challenge

Round 1 of the 2007 Honda Media Challenge, held at the FTI Complex last November 10, saw the media competitors being challenged by the new autokhana format, which combines the autocross and gymkhana disciplines, requiring both speed and precision driving.

Exhibiting early mastery in the 2007 series, is the Top Gear team consisting of Beeboy Bargas, Paolo Subido and Carmela Ortiz, who finished with the best team time of 6:36.21. The BusinessMirror team of Andy Sevilla, Randy Cabangon and Dino Datu finished a close second with a time of 6:36.37. Grabbing the final spot in the podium was the AutoReview team of Ronald de los Reyes, Kit Joaquin and Alvin Ng, with a team time of 6:53.19.

Other teams competing for the team championship are DZRH (7:00.62), Autoindustriya (7:15.68), BusinessWorld (10:25.33), FM Radio (10:52.66), Motoring Today (10:53.50), AM Radio (10:52.66), and Manila Standard Today (13:03.27).

In the motoring category, the best driver of the day was Top Gear's Beeboy Bargas, who logged the best time of 1:59.79. Close behind were former Media Challenge champions Anjo Perez of Manila Bulletin and Jeff Reyes of The Philippine Star, with times of 2:00.56 and 2:08.48, respectively.

From a field of five Honda Club entries, Onyl Malabanan topped the opening event, with a time of 03:03.60.

Six Honda Jazz VTEC 1500 manual transmission units have been equipped with roll cage, racing seat and five-point harness for use as official competition vehicles. The vehicles are fitted with Yokohama Tires, while the batteries are courtesy of Motolite "Trusted na pangmatagalan."

The official fuel for the 2007 season is the new Petron XCS Complete Combustion System, a special formulation customized for Philippine driving conditions. The first gasoline powered by premium organic enhancers, Petron XCS delivers smoother acceleration and optimized power by keeping your engine clean and maximizing fuel consumption.

Other sponsors include Honda Philippines, Inc. for the generator sets, Pagcor Sports, JVC Mobile Entertainment Systems, Art & Image Technology for the car stickers, and IgerTech for the timing device and scoring system.

The next rounds of the 2007 Honda Media Challenge are scheduled for November 24 and December 08, at the FTI Complex in Taguig.

The Honda Media Challenge is a club event sanctioned by the Automobile Association Philippines (AAP) and is organized by ADBM Resources. For more information about the event, call 9206944 or visit www.mediachallenge.info.

4 photos