THE song, “Let Me Try Again,” that was popularized by famed crooner Engelbert Humperdink, has been the immortal ditty of childless couples. It still is, I believe, which is self-explanatory, right?
That ballad can also be the everlasting spark to suitors continually getting spurned. Also for Olympic losers and bar-flunkers, as well; right again?
If might be that the song’s composer got his inspiration from the adage, “Try and try until you succeed.” Or, “If there’s a will, there’s a way.”
I cite all of that amid the hoopla and euphoria enveloping Danny “Sir John” Isla and his gutsy Lexus Team. They just ran away with several awards in the STV Auto Rally Corporate Challenge (ARCC) held on Saturday from Tagaytay City and back.
The victories were blazing breakthroughs for Lexus in the fabled rally revived six years ago by the legendary Ray Butch “Elvis” Gamboa, whose long-running Motoring Today owns the distinction of being the country’s first weekly television motor show.
First flagged off in the Seventies, the ARCC, revived in 2010 with a record 63 cars in attendance, is also known as the Sampaguita Rally. It is patterned with slight modifications after Europe’s famous Tulip Rally in the Netherlands, where the name of the game is not speed, grit and hustle but to be “On Time, All The Time” at every checkpoint scattered along the route.
Participating vehicles are released at five-minute intervals, each one needing to hurdle time-testing spots with the goal of accumulating the least of demerits overall to contend for the championship. Accuracy, precision and timeliness are the key cogs to victory.
At least five checkpoints in each race are laid out in every map. To score well in each of the 14 legs, one must cover every obstacle from the grid to a checkpoint according to a designated time set by rally top honcho Georges Ramirez, whom Elvis describes as “the guy who knows everything about car rallies, from A to Z.”
Of the 42 or so vehicles that competed on Saturday from a field of 12 car companies unleashing each at least three cars manned by a three-person crew, only one car got lost.
It wasn’t a surprise, though, as all three onboard the wayward vehicle were rookies—from driver to timer to navigator.
They were almost in the Batangas City sea port already from the Tagaytay Highlands flag-off when they realized they had gone way off the mark. But still, Georges, in consultation with Elvis, had allowed the squad to compete in the afternoon races “in the spirit of fun.”
While competition was keen as the day’s winners were well-rewarded with their feats, fantabulous fun it was that filled the atmosphere, especially during the Awards Night at the Tagaytay Convention Center, courtesy of Mayor Bambol Tolentino.
As I was saying, Lexus logged on unprecedented victories, with its haul of three major awards giving Sir John Isla the thrill of his life.
The triple triumphs seemed providential. In his morning speech before flag-off, Sir John said, “This is our sixth straight participation and I feel that my team [Toshi Hiranuma, Frances Concepcion and Luisa Curitana] has formed what appears like a solid, winning squad out to snap our losing drought.”
Jeff Reyes, Brent Co and Gab Sobrepeña won for Lexus Alpha 1 with a measly one-point demerit in a tie with Honda’s Mike Potenciano, Lindy Pellicer and Al Bato.
It wasn’t a fluke of a win as Jeff, Brent and Gab went on to capture solo top honors in the Beta 4 afternoon race, finishing with a rare zero demerit.
Did I see Hiranuma-san take a swig to celebrate the feat?
And to complete the Lexus celebration, the crew of Raffy David, Jojo Uligan and Chester Gokingyok shoved Lexus to the overall individual championship in the Beta Leg division with 86 demerits, handily beating Subaru’s Eric and Jic Valera and Bhonny Cunamay (112 demerits).
Like Vernon B. Sarne, the editor in chief of Top Gear, I am also filled with joy for this Lexus triumph as it ended years of frustration. As you know, Vernon and I have become fixtures in the Lexus Team—Vernon as the TTE (Team’s Tactical Expert) and yours truly as team captain since 2010.
The ARCC’s second and final edition is set for November, and even as Subaru had swept both overall corporate and individual divisions in Tagaytay, one will never know what’s going to happen next in Subic eight months from now.
With Sir John the eminent Lexus president as the team’s usual guiding light, the pedestal will always be that reachable.
As always, we will try. Humperdink’s on our mind.
PEE STOP. Sadly today, the local market is flooded with affordable knock off wheels sold at low prices, but which are now mostly pirated fakes like the BBS, Volk Rays Engineering, and recently the Black Rhino Wheels. The genuine Black Rhino Wheels are US-made and their design comes from the Rhino, one of the toughest animals in the planet. One of the most expensive and dependable brands in the market, Rhino is distributed here by Wheel Gallery in San Juan City the last three years. But fakes now abound. Said Sam Liuson of Wheel Gallery: “The problem with counterfeit products is they look the same from the outside but, in reality, these fakes cut corners with the raw material and workmanship. Because their aim is simply to make money, they don’t care about quality, safety and warranty. Yes, your wheel looks good, but will it not break in the next pothole?”