Subaru Palm Challenge’s top 10 finishers to represent Team PH

Motor Image Pilipinas General Manager Gerry Hernandez (extreme left) and MIP Marketing Manager Uzzi Asuncion(extreme right) with the 10 qualifiers. They are, second from left, Isaah Kevin Locsin, Filmark Bernante, Joaquin Ireneo Fabros, Mark Alber Guballa, Cyrus Corpuz, Reggie Purugganan, Nikko Paolo Blancada, Lordgie Vallente, Carlo Talahib and Don Marc Gerard Pantaleon

It was a stormy Saturday morning last week when over a hundred challengers competed and endured fatigue, bad weather, and gave their last ounce of energy to keep up with the challenges of the competition at the Philippine leg of this year’s Subaru Palm Challenge: Philippine Face-Off.

In the end, only the top 10 finishers in the qualifier staged by Motor Image Pilipinas, Inc., the country’s exclusive distributor of Subaru, earned the right to represent the Philippines in the regional finals to be held in Singapore.

2019 SUBARU PALM CHALLENGE: PHILIPPINE FACE OFF WINNERS
*Pending required documents to participate in SG Finals

The rules of the challenge is fairly simple, but extremely difficult to win. Be the last person to keep his or her palm on one of the Subaru Foresters on various designated locations of the vehicle, and do not lift the palm until the challenge is over, or there are no more competitors left standing. They had to endure fatigue, muscle and joint pain, soreness under the harsh and sometimes unpredictable weather. This year’s event brought more excitement because of the unpredictable weather condition at the BGC’s Amphitheater where the event was held.

Even highly experienced competitors like Rheden Pinoliad and Mark Joseph Trinos who represented the 2017 Philippine team didn’t make it to this year’s roster.

Reggie Purugganan (center), the new local champion won a total of P12,000 cash and other prizes from Motor Image Pilipinas and Motul

This weekend’s weather slowly trimmed down the number of standing competitors and after enduring their stance for eight hours, the top qualifiers held their ground until the last second.

Participants obliging to competition rules

A newbie, Cyrus Corpuz, outlasted last year’s Regional Palm Challenge country runner-up Juntie Flores for top honors.

From the team that represented the country last year, only three made it to this year’s top 10, including last year’s country winner, Filmark Bernante, along with long-time team captain Carlo Talahib, who has been representing the team for eight years now.

Mark Guballa, also a Subaru Palm Challenge veteran, placed 7th in this year’s run. One of the interesting highlights was the battle between veteran Reggie Purugganan and newcomer Nikko Blancada. The veteran Purugganan outlasted Blancada by just over 9 seconds.

One of the challenges leading to the top 10

The top 10 finalists will see themselves competing against other regional qualifiers in the final round of the Subaru Palm Challenge from November 2 to 5 in Singapore. This will mark the 18th edition of one of Asia’s largest and toughest endurance competitions, and it will be held at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza. The current record stands at 82 hours and 16 minutes, and over 400 participants from Singapore, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam will join this event.