12-time Subaru Car Challenge veteran wins grand prize
The Philippines will have to wait yet another year as Singaporean Analiza Mokhtar bested 399 other contestants to take home a brandnew Subaru and the title of 2018 Subaru Car Challenge champion.
A 12-time veteran of the Subaru Car Challenge, Analiza battled changeable conditions including torrential afternoon thunderstorms to become only the second woman to win in the contest’s 17-year run. Her victory came at the cost of Thailand’s Phraitoon Sanguannam whose right hand slipped from the palm print as the contest entered the 17th minute past the 75-hour mark.
After coming so close to winning the Grand Prize multiple times in the past, disbelief and then tears of joys flowed down Analiza’s cheeks as she was told of her win. Almost immediately, she received the symbolic key from Glenn Tan, deputy chairman and managing sirector of Tan Chong International Ltd., parent company of Motor Image, the distributor of Subaru, who was also the first one to give her a congratulatory hug.
The annual challenge which tests both mental and physical toughness kicked off at exactly 1 p.m. last Saturday, Oct. 27, at the Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza in Singapore.
Although the Philippine contingent started strong initially, by the end of the second day, only three of the 10 Filipinos were still left standing. Carlo Talahib, Mark Albert Guballa, Alec Karol Ebuen, Rey Balintucas were out by the evening of Day 2. As day broke on Day 3, Karl Joseph Sarenas, Angel Lou Grospe, and Daniel Sabas also bowed out. At the dawn of Day 4, more than 356 contestants have dropped out including the last standing Filipino, Filmark “Tohoi” Bernante.
Filmark still took consolation and brought home S$1,000 (~P40,000) for being the last Filipino standing in the challenge.
Though visibly muted after his valiant fight over fatigue and sleep deprivation, Phraitoon’s impressive performance meant he won the title of Regional Winner, winning S$5,000 (~P195,000) in the process. It also proved to be a solid anchor for Thailand to win the Country Team Winner, securing their 10-man team S$10,000 (~P390,000) too.
In its 17th edition, the Subaru Car Challenge brought together 320 Singaporean participants and 80 regional participants from Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Hopeful contenders had to brave the elements in the arena for a chance at winning the Grand Prize: a brand-new Subaru Impreza 2.0i-S. To win, contestants needed to place their right palms firmly within the surface area of a palm decal and be the last one standing. They are given a five-minute break once every six hours throughout the competition.
This year, Motor Image made sure that no participant walked away empty-handed. Every participant received a Challenger Pack comprising a customized t-shirt and gift vouchers, worth around S$80 (~P3,100).
In addition, the all-new Forester, which celebrated its Singaporean market launch, was featured in a special Charity Car Challenge as well.
The event also coincided with Tan Chong International Ltd.’s (TCIL) Corporate Social Responsibility or CSR. Through their DUO Rewards customer loyalty program, the company was able to raise funds to provide a new school van for the Rainbow Centre — a social service organization that operates special education schools for persons with disabilities in Singapore. The Rainbow Centre is also a beneficiary under Singapore President Halimah Yacob’s Star Challenge.