Motoring Today Column: Again, it's time to be❝on time all the time❞

May 09, 2018

Again, it's time to be❝on time all the time❞

The always much-awaited yearly staging of the STV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge (STV-ARCC) goes on the road once again this Saturday, May 12,flagging off at the fast-rising mega development known as Clark Global City.

With the event's participation limited and exclusive to the local auto industry and having the distinction of being the only motor sport event that its players openly compete in, close to 40 brand new car models fielded by 11 car manufacturers' and distributors' Rally Teams are expected to be proudly showcased on the starting grid. In alphabetical order here are the leading brands joining the rally this year, namely: Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Isuzu, Lexus, Mazda, Mini, SsangYong, Subaru, and Volkswagen.

Widely acknowledged as one of the local auto industry's institutional events, the STV-ARCC is not a race but a competition that is a good measure for teamwork and precision driving with a basic requirement of being"on time all the time". Known as the 'Tulip Rally' in Europe, its glory days in the country were in the 60s and called the 'Sampaguita Rally' when it was participated in by the motor sports exponents of that time in the likes of Pocholo Ramirez, Dante Silverio, Tony Mapa, Mandy Eduque , to name a very few.

Considering that a major part of the competition is held in public roads, the rules of the road rally require very strict adherence to road safety and driver discipline (with automatic disqualification as sanction for any violation), making it one of the major projects of its organizers,Sunshine TV and Socio Com Foundation in their advocacy to promote road safety. It is part of their fund-raising initiatives to support the 'Young Street Smarts Road Safety School Tour' project that conducts free road safety seminars and workshops for graduating high school students to make them safe and responsible road users.

Since STV's first attempt to revive the 'Sampaguita Rally' in 2001, which was held in Tagaytay City with 17 cars participating, this year's staging would be the 10th. Since then the biggest starting grid ever registered for this event was in 2009 flagging off at the Home Depot parking lot in Ortigas Avenue with a total of 64 cars, which was also considered then as the biggest ever for any local motor sport event.

Favorite rally venues have been almost alternatively between Tagaytay City, Clark and Subic with perennial top-notched Rally Director,Georges Ramirez ably assisted by his lovely wife Caroline and IT expert Patrick Chua coming up not only with scenic routes but very challenging ones as well.

So far present holders of the STV-ARCC's 'Perpetual Trophy', which is earned by registering 3 Team Championships are the MINI Rally Team and theSubaru Rally Team, the latter being the current Defending Champion.

This year's Phoenix Fuels Pulse Technology Powered STV-ARCC would, for the first time be a combination of Clark and Subic with an exciting rally enhancement added by Georges and his team, which would undoubtedly appeal to the more daring. Another unique feature of this year's staging is the benchmarking of participating cars' fuel performance while on "rally mode".

To achieve this, participating vehicles would gas up on 'automatic full tank' with their odometer reading registered and gas tank sealed before the rally. A post rally gas up similarly on 'automatic full tank' with another odometer reading would be done to determine actual fuel consumption and distance travelled.

The rally route would also include a couple of drive thru to toll plazas for the rally participants to experience first hand the present seamless travel through the different world-class tollways while traversing to and from Clark and Subic.

Proudly presented by Phoenix Petroleum in cooperation with NLEX Corporation and Harbor Point Mall, this year's Sampaguita "on time all the time" Rally is powered by Phoenix Fuels with Pulse Technology.

"So as we all know, we launched our latest fuels proposition: Pulse Technology. We wanted to demonstrate the benefits that Phoenix Fuels with Pulse Technology can give to our consumers. True to the proposition of Pulse, we offer no less than pulsating an experience for our customers who will be fueled by Phoenix Fuels with Pulse Technology." remarked Mr. Henry Albert "Bong" Fadullon, COO of Phoenix Petroleum during the signing of the Memorandum of Agreement with Sunshine TV and Socio Com Foundation making thePulse Technology Powered Phoenix Fuels the'Official Fuel' of this year's STV-ARCC.

The flag off ceremonies of the 2018 Phoenix Pulse Technology Powered STV-ARCC at the Clark Global City with no less than AAP's motorsports committee chairman, Mandy Eduque officiating shall be covered 'live' on Motoring Today's Facebook on Saturday, May 12 at 9 o'clock in the morning.

Happy Motoring!!!

For comments & inquiries (email) sunshine.television@yahoo.com

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Ray Butch Gamboa graduated from the College of Arts and Letters of the University of Sto. Tomas. It was a course that should have been preparatory to a law degree, but the call of broadcasting aborted his plans.

At the age of 16, while still a student, Butch tried his hand at disc jockeying, landing a job at Mareco Broadcasting Network’s AM stations DZBM and DZLM. From there, Butch moved on with his illustrious career as a popular disc jockey, riding the airwaves of Bob Stewart’s middle-of-the-road music at DZXX, and ending his disc jockeying career at ABS-CBN’s DZYL and DZQL.

From there, he stayed on with ABS-CBN, covering live the proceedings at the Manila Stock Exchange and eventually entered into the world of television sales as an account manager for the premier channel of ABS-CBN Channel 2.

In the early 70’s, at the outbreak of Martial Law, Butch was one of the thousands of professionals who woke up jobless when then President Marcos declared the new status of the nation. With the closure of ABS-CBN, Butch ventured into different fields outside of broadcast. He tried his hand and with ease and success at export (Costume jewelry), real estate (brokerage), and restaurants (fast food).

In 1987, after the revolution, with the broadcast industry back to its free state, and with its irresistible call ringing in his ears, Butch made his inevitable comeback and pioneered in a local motoring show, producing Motoring Today on Channel 4 and co-hosting with local motor sports’ living legend Pocholo Ramirez.

After 4 years, he ventured into another pioneering format by producing and hosting Business & Leisure, which was originally aired on ABS-CBN’s Channel 2. The format eventually espoused similar ones in other different channels. But the clones in due course faded away leaving the original staying on airing on Channel 4 and eventually on Shop TV on Sky Cable’s Channel 13.

The following year, the pioneering spirit in Butch spurred him to produce another TV show, Race Weekend, also on Channel 4, covering circuit racing at the Subic International Raceway after the motor sport’s hiatus of 17 years. But when similar shows with duplicated formats sprouted, he decided to give way and ended the program after a year, although still enjoying unparalleled viewership.

In 1998, when the local automotive industry was in a slump, Butch contributed his share to help the ailing industry by producing another popular motoring-related show, this time exclusive to the automobile and its industry—Auto Focus, which became a vehicle for local automotive assemblers and importers to showcase their products and dwell on the industry’s latest technological developments.

In 2003, Butch teamed up with his brother, Rey Gamboa who was a former Shell executive and presently one Philippine Star’s business columnist to co-produce and co-host the TV show Breaking Barriers on Channel 13. It is a talk show that features guests who are in the news and in the middle of controversies. The program ventures to draw deeper insights into current issues to learn how they impact to our daily lives.

Today, Motoring Today on its 28th year of service to the general motoring public still enjoys its unprecedented loyal vierwership nationwide while Auto Focus, after 16 years has firmly established its niche viewership among automobile enthusiasts and on the other hand Business & Leisure is on its 24th year dishing out current business issues and lifestyle features.

Today, aside from writing weekly columns for the Philippine Star (Motoring Today on Wednesdays and Business & Leisure on Saturdays) and executive producer / host of weekly TV shows (Motoring Today, airs Sundays on Solar Sports Channel 70, Business & Leisure, airs Tuesdays on Shop TV, Sky Cable Channel 13 and Auto Focus airs Thursdays on Shop TV, Sky Cable Channel 13, Ray Butch Gamboa is currently the Chairman and CEO of Sunshine Television Production and Marketing Services Corp., President of Gamcor Management and Development Corp., Chairman of Asia-Pacific Realty Corporation, President and Chairman of Socio-Communication Foundation for Asia and Founding Chairman of the Society of Phil. Motoring Journalists (SPMJ)