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Subaru Palm Challenge 2011: Singaporean Chong Kiat Chi wins the Impreza WRX, lasts 75 hours and 36 minutes!

November 2, 2011 at 3:28 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Subaru

We just got home from Singapore, where the MediaCorp Subaru Impreza WRX Challenge 2011 came to a close last evening. As the contest entered day four, three men were determined to be the last man standing, but it was Chong Kiat Chi who outlasted the rest to drive away a Subaru Impreza WRX MT Hatchback worth S$92800 (without COE).

Chong, a 42-year old sales manager, had his palm on the car for 75 hours and 36 minutes. Chong is an old hand at the game, having previously contested six times in this annual event.


Six-time repeat contestant Chong Kiat Chi finally strikes gold (wheels)

He beat 27-year old commercial executive Tilani Haresh Lachmandas in the final battle. Tilani, with his huge popping eyes, looked very determined, and appeared the fitter of the two. He also had a huge group of friends cheering him on, but at the 75 hour 35 minute mark, stewards disqualified him for lifting his hand off the designated palm placement.

He wasn’t pleased with the call, as anyone who had a 50:50 shot at a car would be. But with the stakes so high, mistakes can be costly. Tilani had to settle for a S$5,000 cheque.


Determined and with plenty of support, but Tilani Haresh had to settle for S$5,000

Earlier, hotly tipped 52-year old chauffeur Abdul Hamid Jonid, last year’s runner up, was eliminated at 75 hours, 8 minutes after his hand slipped off. It must be heartbreaking for “Kachang” having been so close yet so far for two years running.

Conditions weren’t easy after the final ever 5-minute break at 1pm yesterday. The weather continued to toy with them, oscillating between scorching heat and heavy downpour. Winner Chong perhaps had a slightly easier time as his position was shielded from direct sun by the Ngee Ann City shadow.


Another heartbreaking nearly there moment for last year’s runner up Kachang

“I’m incredibly happy to have won. I dropped out last year due to exhaustion, but this year, with the support of my family and friends, I was able to last for as long as I did. Without them I don’t think I would have been able to do it, so I am really grateful for everything they have done,” Chong said.

Away from the trio, the best regional contestant went to Neblasca Alex Jr from the Philippines. He went home with S$5,000. As the best regional collective effort (combined hours) the Thailand team won S$10,000. The last man standing from each country took home S$1,000 each, and Malaysia’s best effort came from 30-year old sales personnel Saw Sen Chiew.

Saw lasted over 63 hours before his palm slipped off, a commendable effort. Besides the smooth surface, Saw said that the “concentration was not there” when he was eliminated.


Saw Sen Chiew was Malaysia’s longest lasting. He took home S$1,000 as country winner

Being there live at the palm challenge left me amazed at the willpower and determination shown by the participants, who endured sun and rain every single day. But I tip my cap to Adam Kamis, the one handed contestant. Good natured and ever smiling, the 32-year old joined not to boost his bank balance, but to raise funds for a semi paralysed friend to go to Germany for treatment.

However, Kamis, who lost his arm in a bike accident in 2003, was “strongly advised” by medics to retire getting severe blisters on his hand.


Adam Kamis put his only palm down to help a friend. Blisters got in the way

“My skin was stuck on the car, I peeled it off and blood just gushed out,” he told this wincing writer. “I intend to safe this arm for next year’s contest,” the man who runs at least 30 km a day added with a smile. An eye opening few days indeed.

Think you can do better? Join next year!

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Free parking for hybrid vehicles in PJ for three months

November 1, 2011 at 5:08 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Local News

Three months of free parking in Petaling Jaya – that’s the cheery news awaiting new hybrid vehicle owners. The Petaling Jaya City Council, or MBPJ, has announced the free parking initiative as part of its green incentives programme as tabled in its 2012 budget.

According to a report, hybrid vehicles – and that means the Honda Insight, Toyota Prius as well as the Lexus CT 200h and RX 450h (and the Honda CR-Z, when that arrives soon) – will be given a special pass to enjoy the free parking, which presumably is valid for any public parking bay in the city. The report mentions that the incentive will be for cars registered from January 1.

There’s no mention of when the free parking duration will begin though; presumably again, this should be anytime from January next year. Which also brings about the question – does the January 1 registration validity only cover vehicles registered from the start of 2012, or from this year? Questions, questions.

In other news mentioned in the report, the council will also be spending RM100,000 to install energy-efficient LED lights at residential areas, which will help brighten back lanes. The cost of installing the lights, maintenance and replacement of faulty lights will be borne by the council, states the report.

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MediaCorp Subaru Impreza WRX Challenge 2011: Only six still standing, last Malaysian dropped out this morning

November 1, 2011 at 11:08 am By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Subaru

The MediaCorp Subaru Impreza WRX Challenge 2011 is well into its fourth day now, and after last night’s “critical period” only six contestants remain – all locals. The last of the regional contestants was Neblasca Alex Jr, who just dropped out. The Filipino is therefore the “Asian Winner”, awarded to the longest lasting non Singaporean. The last Malaysian standing dropped out this morning.

Battling the cold of the night and extreme exhaustion, contestants pushed themselves beyond their physical limitations, but a big chunk of them eventually had to throw in the towel. In the last six is last year’s runner-up Abdul Hamid bin Jonid.

I paid the Ngee Ann City event area a visit yesterday night, to watch their 7pm break time and it was interesting. Five minutes were all they had to eat, go to the toilet, get a massage and wash themselves before the next 5-minute break at 1am. Not everyone managed to do all, some electing to run for the food (chicken rice or vegetarian + energy drink) first while others rushed to the toilets.

The 7pm daily breaks are special, because a family member can come in to lend support. That hug and kiss can be invaluable considering the states of mind of the contestants – some were hallucinating and many looked like zombies!

Here are the pics from yesterday. Stay tuned for the results later today!

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Stock Renault Megane RS 250 Cup makes almost 300hp!

October 31, 2011 at 9:07 pm By Harvinder Sidhu Filed Under Cars, Local News, Renault, Videos

When we talk about high-performance hot hatches, only few come to mind. These few include the Volkswagen Golf and Scirocco R, the Ford Focus RS, the Mazda 3 MPS and as the title suggests, the Renault Megane RS 250 Cup. Just like its competitors, the RS 250 is often referred to as a hot hatch which you can drive to work on the weekdays and at the same time, something which you can bring to Sepang on the weekends and practice your driving lines :)

Under the hood lies a 2.0 litre 4-pot turbocharged (twin-scroll) unit which has over 25% of new parts compared to its predecessor. 0 – 100 km/h can be achieved in 6.1 seconds with a top speed of 245 km/h. As highlighted in the “250″ designation of this French beauty, it makes 250 hp at 5,500 rpm at-crank and 340 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm with 80% of it available from 1,900 rpm. Or does it?

There are two ways to look at horsepower. One is at-crank (direct output from the engine) or on-wheel (horsepower measured on-wheel after transmission losses). The latter would naturally be lower than at-crank and auto makers use the former in the spec sheets. Most of the time, it is very hard for an owner to get similar horsepower figures when they carry out their own dyno tests. The conditions have to be right and the right fuel has to be used. So, you can safely say that most of the numbers are slightly optimistic.

Interestingly, with the Renault Megane RS 250 Cup, it’s the other way around. We were recently at a dyno session where the RS 250 was being tested, and it turns out that the RS 250 can actually give you an on-wheel horsepower figure that is almost similar as the at-crank figure showed in the brochure! The demo vehicle used in the video is an all-original unit, with no modifications whatsoever and it was used for media as well as customer test drives by Tan Chong Euro Cars and the vehicle has already clocked 25,000 kilometers.

During a test at GT Auto in Sunway, using RON97 fuel, the car actually achieved 248 hp and 355 Nm of torque on-wheel. After a simple math work, we managed to come up with an equivalent at-crank figure of approximately 295 hp which is almost similar to the at-crank number of the Ford Focus RS! The 295 hp number was derived from the 16% transmission loss calculation (from crank to wheels). Now we all know that the actual numbers will run off a little, but 45 hp is no joke.

Furthermore, reliable sources have confirmed that higher on-wheel horsepower figures were also achieved in two other units (you can view the dyno charts in the gallery). It was also said that the Renault Sport cars are tuned to work well in various climate conditions and ambient temperature. These sportier Renaults can also run on RON 95 fuel and the engines are built on a mass production line and that slight variances in horsepower from one engine to another is common.

It was also said that due to the slight differences, Renault Sport is being rather conservative with the published figures. Moreover, tests were also carried out overseas and these tests also confirmed that the RS 250 actually produces more power than promised. EVO UK also carried one out and they learned that their RS 250 media car recorded 270hp at-crank. You can check out the video here.

Other than a power mill with interesting figures, the Megane RS 250 comes with a sports-tuned chassis and suspension setting which helps give it its sharp maneuverability and chuckability, with comfort still in mind although there is a hint of acceptable stiffness to it. Suspension features include a 10mm lowered chassis as well as uprated dampers, springs and anti-roll bars.

Strong stopping power is also vital for a vehicle of such nature and this is provided by Brembo. The front wheels tease 340 mm vented and slotted discs along with 4-pot calipers. The brake tune strikes a good balance of stopping power and reliability in terms of maintaining brake pressure even during demanding driving scenarios such as pushing the car’s limits on the track.

No fancy or sophisticated dual-clutch transmissions here, just a good old, precisely weighted six-speed cog box which works well in shifting gears. All you need to do is acquire the skills of heel and toe, a dying art if you ask me, to ensure smoother shifting. There is also a mechanical LSD working in the background. Overall, the RS 250 retails for RM229,800 OTR without insurance and with that additional 45 hp, it gives the RS 250 better value for money.

If you want to learn more about the Renault Megane RS 250 Cup, you can read a full test drive review right here.

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My Proton Makeover – next up, a 17-year-old Wira sedan!

October 31, 2011 at 5:33 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Proton

The next recipient of the My Proton Makeover programme has been identified – Sashideran Radha Krishnan’s 17-year-old Proton Wira, which he inherited from his father, will be given the reworking treatment by the R3 unit of Proton’s Motorsports Department.

The 24-year-old budding engineer is the first winner and second recipient of the Proton programme. The first was of course Fadly Hisham Roplay’s 1992 Saga, which was reworked by the R3 boys and handed back to him in September.

The white Wira that will receive the makeover was purchased by Sashideran’s father, Radha Krishnan, in March 1994. Interestingly, the day the car was registered also coincided with both their birthdays. “I still remember the day she was driven up the driveway of my house, all gleaming in white. I knew straight away that she was special!” Sashideran said.

In his submission for the contest, Sashideran described his Wira as more than just a car, rather a member of his family. The car reminded him of many key nostalgic moments, from ferrying him on his first day in a new school to bringing his mother and new born baby brother home from hospital.

His “darling Wira”, as Sashideran calls her, was also instrumental in being part of his first date, and was his reliable mode of transport to his first job interview and subsequently his first job.

“At one time, she sheltered me when I was away from home with no money to spare, becoming my room and bed for the night,” he explained, remembering once that he threatened never to speak to his father again when his dad said he was going to sell the Wira to get a new car. Dad has since relinquished full use of the Wira to Sashideran, who maintains the car quite intently.

“Sashideran’s story was so well written that it would be wrong not to reward him and his family for the love they shower on the car,” said Proton Director of Group Marketing, Branding and Motorsports, John D. Chacko. “We were a little amused considering that Sashideran is a passionate car lover, but his father still keeps a strict eye on him about how he cares for the car!”

Tengku Djan Ley, Head of Engineering of the R3 unit at Proton Motorsports, explained that Sashideran’s story caught the team’s attention because they weren’t expecting a “love story” with a car described in such a unique and heartwarming manner. “He and his family really love their Proton Wira, and the car definitely deserves the gift of a new zest of life,” he said.

The My Proton Makeover contest will reward four more lucky Proton car owners with a complete makeover of their car – entries close on December 28. As for Sashideran’s Wira, it’s scheduled to be returned to him in November.

79 Comments      

Chevrolet Cruze and Captiva – promotion on both vehicles until Dec 31 in the Chevrolet Centennial Celebration

October 31, 2011 at 4:55 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Chevrolet, Local News

In conjunction with the Chevrolet Centennial Celebration, Naza Quest has announced a promotion for the Cruze sedan and Captiva SUV, which runs from now until December 31.

During the promo period, buyers of the Cruze, which is now available with a Jet Black interior with Titanium Stitching, will receive an in-dash DVD navigation unit, equipped with Bluetooth connectivity, free with their Cruze purchase.

Meanwhile, new owners of the Captiva 2.4L petrol will receive a three-year or 100,000 km warranty as well as three-years or 60,000 km free maintenance and parts with every Captiva purchase during the Chevrolet Centennial Celebration promotion.

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Subaru Palm Challenge: Weather not being kind, only 58 contestants remain, three Malaysians still standing!

October 31, 2011 at 4:48 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Subaru

We’re in Singapore to cheer on Team Malaysia as they take on the MediaCorp Subaru Impreza WRX Challenge 2011, also known as the Subaru Palm Challenge. This is the grand finals of the annual event – to read more on what it’s all about, read our opening post from yesterday here.

The weather hasn’t been kind, and the skies above Lion City is finally clearing after few hours of heavy rain. Last night was a critical period, and the 124 still standing contestants from our last update have been more than halved to 58 people as of now. 340 have given up. Some were reported to have been hallucinating!

Of the 58, three of them – Tan Hong Sheng, Saw Sen Chiew and Tan Chuan Kok – are Malaysians. The Filipinos have taken over from Thailand as the best regional team with five still standing. Four Thais are still in it, while Indonesia and Vietnam have two each. Besides the car, there are prizes for a “Country Winner” and an “Asian Winner” for the longest lasting non Singaporean.


L-R: Cheryl Desiree Chan, Su-Anne Tan and Kuek Zi Yi of the Subaru Stunt Driving Team

While the palmers were testing their endurance at Ngee Ann City, we were at the Singapore Turf Club to sample some Subaru cars via the usual emergency brake and lane change tests.

We were supplied with Impreza 1.5 AWD sedans and the most beautiful driving instructors this writer has ever seen. Meet from left to right, model/host/DJ Cheryl Desiree Chan, hot mum Su-Anne Tan and national inline skater Kuek Zi Yi, members of the Subaru Stunt Driving Team. Ladies that look good and can kick your behind in driving – we need more of them around :)

Unfortunately, they didn’t get to show us much, and the planned autokhana challenge for the media had to be called off due to heavy downpour. A real downer, since I was just getting all warmed up. Oh well!

Stay tuned for updates!

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MediaCorp Subaru Impreza WRX Challenge 2011: Half of 10 Malaysians are out, five palms are still on the cars

October 30, 2011 at 11:45 pm By Danny Tan Filed Under Cars, Local News, Subaru

We’re in Singapore for the MediaCorp Subaru Impreza WRX Challenge 2011, more commonly known as the ‘Subaru Palm Challenge’. This is the grand finals of the annual event, where the longest lasting palm on the car drives home a Subaru. As usual, the event is being held at Ngee Ann City or Takashimaya along Orchard Road.

Last month, Motor Image had a Malaysian leg of the palm challenge at Pavilion KL, where 57 contestants vied for 10 places in the Singapore finals. They’re here now, competing with 310 Singaporeans and 80 others from Cambodia, China, Macau, Indonesia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Our contingent of Richard Law, Mohd Fadhlly, Yoon Kok Leong, Tan Chuan Kok, Amier Amzar, Jonathan David William, Chan Hon Ki, Hubert Koh, Saw Sen Chiew, and Tan Hong Sheng started the challenge 1pm yesterday, but unfortunately, five have dropped out after nearly one and a half days in the sun and rain.

As of now, there are 124 contestants still in the running. Of the regional contingents, the Thais are showing true grit – 9 are still in the game. The Philippines are close behind with 8 and Vietnam has 7 still standing. Besides the car, on offer are cash prizes for a “Country Winner” and an “Asian Winner” – the latter for the longest lasting non Singaporean. Will the Malaysians defy the odds to outlast the rest?

Unlike the heats in KL, there are no challenges here, one simply needs to outlast the others to win. It’s not just physical strength, but mental power counts a lot too, if not more. The weather hasn’t been too kind as well, I was told by the crew that it alternated between heat and rain yesterday.

Contestants are entitled to a 5-minute break once every six hours, at 1pm, 7pm, 1am and 7am each day. They will need to do all their business in these short breaks – pee in your pants and you’re out, for instance. Only in the 7pm break that one family member is allowed to enter the arena to offer some moral support. Otherwise, it’s a long, smelly and lonely journey out there.

Last year, 45-year-old Singaporean Aloysius Lim lasted 75 hours and 17 minutes, but the ultimate record belongs to George Lee from 2008. He palmed the car for an astonishing 81 hours and 32 minutes to win the duel. How far will this year’s ‘palmers’ go? Stay tuned!

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smart fortwo electric drive on display at 1 Utama

October 28, 2011 at 9:07 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Hybrids and Alternative Fuel, Local News, smart

No, it’s not available commercially in Malaysia, and even if it was, it would easily cost more than a C 250 CGI. The smart fortwo electric drive seen here is actually making a stopover in the country – the Singaporean-based vehicle is in town courtesy of its appearance at the recent 1st Malaysian-German Sustainable Automotive Mobility Conference 2011, which was organised by the Malaysian German Chamber of Commerce.

You can however catch the car in the metal, if that be your sort of thing, over the weekend – the fortwo electric drive is on display at the Highstreet zone of 1 Utama shopping centre, and it’ll be there until Sunday.

A bit about the car, for those who don’t know what it’s all about yet. The second-generation fortwo electric drive is equipped with a 30 kW permanent magnet motor offering 120 Nm of torque, and driven by a single-speed fixed gear ratio transmission.

The car’s water-cooled 16.5 kWh lithium-ion battery, which is housed between the axles and occupies the space where the fuel tank is located in a conventional fortwo, is good enough to give it an operating range of 135 km. Which won’t quite take you from KL to KLIA and back, but ample enough for light-duty in-town use.

The 148 kg battery – made by Tesla Motors – has a full recharge time of eight hours, juiced via a household socket, but if you only need to do around 30-40 kilometres of travelling a day, the vehicle only needs to be charged for three hours.

And if you putter around at the average 25 to 30 km/h that smart says is normal in city traffic, the fortwo electric drive can go for around four to five hours continuously before it needs to be recharged.

Other performance figures for the 890 kg rear-wheel drive fortwo include a 0-50 km/h (yes, you read right, half a century) time of 5.8 seconds (or if you prefer, a 0-60 km/h time of 6.5 seconds) and a maximum speed of 100 km/h.

As you’d expect, due to the cost and supporting infrastructure limitations, there aren’t that many fortwo electric drives about – the few thousand examples worldwide are in the hands of selected customers, with leases offered for a period of four years and 60,000 kilometres. In the case of this example, it’s part of a EV case study being conducted by the Singaporean government.

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VIDEO: Proton’s ‘The Transporter’ concludes with Part 5

October 28, 2011 at 6:44 pm By Anthony Lim Filed Under Cars, Local News, Malaysian Makes, Proton, Videos

Yesterday, Proton released parts three and four of its five-part The Transporter video series, and today, the fifth and final segment is out. Hanis Salleh, who emerged as the winner of The Transporter contest, won a 4-day/3-night all expense-paid trip to catch the 2011 Singapore GP, heading to the race with a trio of beauties, in this case Yasmin Hani, Diana Danielle and Jojo Struys

The first video centred around the prelude to the trip, while the second showcased the quartet’s experience at the event with exclusive paddock passes. In the final instalment, Jojo Struys, Yasmin Hani and Diana Danielle head to the Black and Gold Mystique F1 party at One Altitude, the highest alfresco rooftop bar in the world. With Hanis, of course. :)

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