10 Filipino finalists for regional Subaru Palm Challenge known

The 10 Philippine qualifiers with Motor Image Pilipinas officials Naugi Jensen (left) and Bob Palanca

Ten hardy Pinoys will head to Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza in Singapore later this year to stake their claim to this year’s Subaru Palm Challenge overall winner.

Just like what they did here, the 10 Pinoy Subaru Palm Challenge: Philippine Face-Off finalists will also place their hands on a position on the car preselected by a lucky draw and never lift it for as long as they can.

This time, however, they will test their will power and endurance against hundreds of finalists coming from Thailand, Hong Kong, Malaysia, China, Taiwan, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia and Singapore.

The contestant is eliminated if he or she lifts his or her hand off the car, whether deliberately or accidentally. Of course, they are allowed a five-minute break every six hours of the competition.

The overall winner will bring home a brand-new Subaru Forester 2.0i-L worth P1.398 million.

The Subaru Palm Challenge: Philippine Face-Off finalists include (from Manila leg) seven-time regional participant Alex Neblasca (who finished first), Juan Furiscal Jr., Francisco Gomez, Alec Ebuen, Juntie

Torres, Dan Angelo Villacorza, Oshwald John Carbonell, Marcus Leui Pagcaliwangan, Cebu leg back-to-back champion Donn Michael Yap, and Davao leg champion Gilbert Hamo-ay.

The 10 finalists will be facing the region’s toughest. To give them inspiration, last year’s grand winner, G. Jaishanker from Singapore, set a record time of 82 hours and 16 minutes, besting 400 others.

According to Motor Image Pilipinas, the authorized distributor of Subaru in the country, of the over 300 who registered, only 200 were given slots to compete.

A mix of young and old ranging from 18  to 69  took the test of mental and physical strength.

A motley of experienced and familiar faces joined this year’s Subaru Palm Challenge, including  seven-time winner Neblasca who proved to be, yet again, the toughest when he outlasted other participants and finished with a time of 13 hours, 9 minutes and 33 seconds.

Of the top 10 winners here in the Philippines, nine finalists were able to bring home P10,000 each and exclusive Subaru merchandise, while the last man standing, Neblasca, took home the P20,000 cash prize, plus exclusive Subaru merchandise.