Local News: Subaru Challenge - 44 Dropped Out

Seven hours into the region's biggest endurance challenge, 44 have dropped out of the Challenge, leaving the remaining 354 contestants to vie for the grand prize of a Subaru Impreza WRX 2.5 MT Hatchback worth S$92,800 (without COE), additional titles and cash prizes.

The MediaCorp Subaru Impreza WRX Challenge kicked off this afternoon at 1pm with almost 400 participants to gruelling weather conditions. Two hours into the Challenge, heavy rain came down at 3.10pm, providing a reprieve for some from the scorching sun and a dampener for many.

Out of the 44 contestants who have dropped out, 10 were regional contestants from Macau, China and Vietnam. There were no surprise drop outs from the Unfinished Business category. Contestants from this category are ex-contestants from Singapore who have clocked 75 hours and above in previous challenges and given direct entry to compete with the best from the region.

"Despite the unpredictable weather, contestants have displayed great strength of mind and spirit. The sudden downpour did not seem to have deterred this year's contestants in pushing forward to winning the grand prize. The next few days will even be even tougher and I wish all contestants the best of luck in braving the tough conditions," said Mr. Glenn Tan, Executive Director, Tan Chong International Ltd.

The competition also saw the first five-minute break, which allowed contact between the contestants and a family member. During the precious five-minute break, contestants had to multi-task between being massaged, fed and going to the toilets.

Contestants are given a five minute break once every six hours – at 1pm, 7pm, 1am and 7am. One family member is allowed to visit the contestant at the 7pm break daily.

This year’s contestants come from all walks of life, including oldest female contestant, 67-year-old Mdm. Vivien Tan, a repeat contestant, who is still standing strong alongside younger and fitter men and women.

Mr. Adam Kamis, also known as 1ArmRunner, the Challenge's first physically challenged contestant, also continues in the competition, persevering on, in a bid to raise medical expenses for a friend, Mr. Noor Azri, who met with an unfortunate accident in 2007. Members of the public who would like to make a contribution can visit a blog created by Noor Azri's family - http://victorianazri.blogspot.com.

In its 10th year, the event brought together a total of 10 countries, making it the largest regional challenge in its history. This year, two new countries, Cambodia and Macau participated in the challenge, alongside contenders from China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

Besides vying for the grand prize, regional contestants will also compete for three additional titles and cash prizes. The title of Country Winner will go to the last standing representative of each participating regional country, with a cash prize of S$1,000. The last regional contestant standing will win the Asian Winner title and walk away with S$5,000 in cash. The Country Team Winner title with a cash prize of S$10,000 will be awarded to the country that holds the longest standing time (combined from all 10 representatives of the same country).

For more information and updates, please visit the official website at http://xinmsn.com/carchallenge2011.

Credits: wilswong