Words by Ferman Lao | Photos by Christopher Kho
To launch the new Montero Sport GTV, Mitsubishi Motors Philippines Inc. (MMPC) gave us the opportunity to join them as they push their SUV to its limits at the Clark International Speedway (CIS) in an event they dubbed as the “Hiroshi Masuoka Challenge.”
The schedule showed us that we were to be carted off to Clark, Pampanga a day before the actual event. This gives us the chance to cool our heels, escape from the stressful work week, and ensures that we would give our full attention to the following day's activities. But instead of joining the shuttle, I opted to drive up in my old, yet trusty, Subaru Legacy project car - with Chris Kho riding shotgun. As everyone went straight ahead to the hotel, we dropped by the track for a sneak peek.
Lo and behold, we discovered that a specially laid-out course was prepared on the infield of CIS that combined dirt and tarmac. Apparently, MMPC deemed this challenge to showcase the new-found power of the 2011 Montero Sport GTV's new engine and transmission combo.
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Words by Jade Lu
For the most part of being with Kotse.com, we’re writers. But due to a lack of budget and time to screen real actors, the gung-ho trio of Chris Kho, Ferman Lao, and myself dared to do what we’ve never done before: acting.
To kick off the all-new S60, Volvo Philippines invited members of the media to enter their video contest entitled “Lights, Camera, Action Car!” Forming a group of up to four members, each team is given a chance to shoot the S60 in action in a definite schedule. Volvo Philippines aims to let the media produce short films that capture the essence of the S60, that it is built for action.
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08 March 2011
Crunching Numbers at the 2011 STV ARCC
Words by Jade Lu | Photos by Christopher Kho
I could't help myself but got excited when teammate Christopher Kho picked me up in our chili orange Ford Fiesta hatchback all stickered up for the rally with our names on the window. And when the team's designated driver Ferman Lao hopped on board, reality set in and I realized that this whole experience was really happening. Driving around a hot colored Fiesta was attention-grabbing enough; more heads turned as they saw it in its full rally livery. The stares we got made a trifle more excited.
Parc fermé
It was a cloudy morning at the Subic International Airport, when all 16 teams were gathered on March 5, 2011, for Sunshine TV’s second Auto Rally Corporate Challenge (ARCC). Our trio was flying the colors of Ford/Mazda (Team FGP), the defending champion of 2010. Team FGP was made up of a Mazda MX-5, a Mazda CX-7, and two Ford Fiestas including our own.
The sight of all the pretty cars stickered for the rally got me quite pumped, as this was my very first rally and I had no idea what to expect. I was a noob among car veterans, media folks, and experienced race car drivers. Not another pair of high heel (or short shorts) in sight. Yes, I wore my four-inch high heels to my first rally; I didn’t get the memo about the flat shoe dress code.
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06 March 2011
Nissan X-Trail X-Train Challenge
Words and photos by Ferman Lao
Regular readers at Kotse.com would recall that a few weeks ago, I wrote about a road trip to Pico de Loro in Batangas which took us through a challenging bike trail. Well, exactly a week later, I was up early again for Nissan Motors Philippines Inc.'s (NMPI) X-Trail CVT test drive-slash-road trip.
Our destination for the day trip was some three hours away in Acuatico Resort, San Juan, Batangas which meant that a 6:00am call time would give me plenty of seat time spent in the X-Trail. My phone rang at exactly 5:45 am and the guys from Nissan informed that they're just 20 minutes away from the agreed pick up point. Getting there several minutes before they did, the group arrived in a Nissan Urvan consisting of Business Mirror's Ira Panganiban, Manila Bulletin's Iñigo Roces, and Auto Review's Ron and Ronald delos Reyes. Although I know that it's going to be a long day, I wasn't going to be the one to make it longer for the other guys in the van.
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19 January 2011
The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG goes green in electric-yellow
Words by Christopher Kho | Photos courtesy of Mercedes-Benz
AMG, Mercedes-Benz's high-performance tuning arm, has decided that it’s about time for them to start going green, and it begins with their best creation yet - the SLS AMG. Painted in a glaring fluorescent “AMG lumilectric magno,” the brightly-colored gullwing SLS AMG E-CELL is a zero-emission super sports car that produces a whopping 525horsepower with 880N-m of torque. Mercedes-Benz and AMG takes on the challenges of the future of motoring with this electric supercar.
"We take social responsibility very seriously and with the SLS AMG E-CELL we are demonstrating a further milestone in our 'AMG Performance 2015' strategy. It is our goal to continually reduce the fuel consumption and emissions of new models in the coming years, while at the same time enhancing the core brand value of performance," explains Ola Källenius, chairman of the board of Mercedes-AMG GmbH.
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Words and photos by Christopher Kho
The Automobile Association of the Philippines (AAP) held a press conference last January 5, 2011 to promote road safety with its distinguished guest Jean Todt, president of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). Globally, 1.3 million people are killed every year due to road accidents; 90% of which occur in developing countries. This means that more people lose their lives on the road than from malaria. In the Philippines, where the situation is not any better, the number of road fatalities reach up to 10,000 annually, making this road safety campaign timely.
“Driving a car is a big responsibility for you and for the people around you,” said Todt. With a population of over 90 million, he also pointed out that the lack of education, the lack of respect for the rules, poor car maintenance, and poor quality of road infrastructures are amongst the Philippines’ most important causes of road accidents. “And it’s not only about people who are driving their car, their bus, their motorbike or their bicycle. It’s about pedestrians, it’s about children who are going to school every morning and not knowing how they can cross the road,” he added.
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14 December 2010
Let the Cat Out of the Bag: Jaguar XF Track Day
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
The secret is finally out; the new Jaguar XF Diesel S is here. For months they’ve kept tight-lipped over the newest addition to their litter, but after the long wait, Jaguar Cars Inc. (JCI) lets the word out with a bang by hosting the first-ever “Jaguar Track Day” at the Clark International Speedway.The Big S
Jaguar boasts the new XF Diesel S to be “the most advanced, powerful, and efficient Jaguar diesel.” With only a discreet ‘S’ badge to distinguish it, it can be rather difficult to fathom how this sports saloon runs so smoothly and quietly. The 3.0 liter AJ-V6D Gen III engine under the hood is truly a technological masterpiece. This is not your run of the mill turbocharged engine, as it features the world’s first parallel sequential turbocharger system.
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08 November 2010
Chevy Cruze Track Attack
Words and photos by Christopher Kho
With the popularity of motor sports on an all-time high, Chevrolet Philippines has kept up their competitive spirit by having their own in-house tuning division - Chevy Motorsports Program, better known as CMP. And just last month, CMP together with Blanco Race Engineering (BRE) gave us the opportunity to test out the fruit of their labor, the Chevy Cruze CMP Street Edition.Benefiting from the countless hours of R&D spent to create the BRE Chevy Cruze Philippine Touring Car (PHTC), the Chevy Cruze CMP Street Edition is born as the Cruze’s sporty alter-ego. It’s specifically built for those who need to scratch that tuner’s itch. To improve it’s handling, the Street Edition is equipped with H&R lowering springs and outfitted with 18 Inch rims from Concept One, wrapped in low profile performance Nitto tires. A-toy Body Kits supplied the 6-piece body kit and the interior is customized by Leder Interia, revamping the Cruze’s look inside and out. Finally, it breathes through BRE’s own dyno-tuned Intake, Headers, and Exhaust system to give it a bit more get-up-and-go.
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