Laying down the rules City Kart Racing managing director Jean Marc Freihuber (right) discusses The Manila 701: The Crazy Race Second Edition rules with Pia Boren during the recent presscon for the “wacky” race.

HANNA-BARBERA’S Wacky Races showed that even an automobile race can have a bunch of obstacles—both natural and man-made—that can render even the best of strategies moot and level the field.

Somewhat inspired by this (along with the various road hazards found along Metro Manila), City Kart Racing (CKR) managing director Jean Marc Freihuber held CKR’s equivalent of the Wacky Races last year with the Manila 701 race. This half-day karting enduro featured teams of four to nine drivers racing head to head (albeit one karter per team on the track at any time) in a race to finish 701 laps, with various on-track tribulations thrown—such as balloons, water, additional karts run by the marshals (to increase track traffic) and lighting power outages within the CKR track—to racers for added challenge. “This kind of race tested how flexible a team is and how well the drivers react to the race conditions and surprise activities,” said Freihuber.    

The immediate and lasting success of the inaugural event prompted CKR and Freihuber to stage a second edition of the Manila 701: The Crazy Race, this time on July 19 and 20 at the CKR complex in Sucat, Parañaque City. CKR and Freihuber recently held a press conference to formally announce the staging of the event, with live bands headed by SinoSikat and Cosmic Love and club disc jockeys Darryl and Stefan to entertain the crowd. According to Freihuber, CKR designed a bevy of obstacles that mimics typical Metro Manila road conditions. “With cool and awesome special effects, we will reproduce extreme weather and road conditions of the Philippines—from typhoons to volcanic eruptions, landslides, strong rain and blackouts. To add more fun, we are introducing new challenging conditions: extreme traffic jams, heavy ash fall, surprising detours and sleet showers [ice pellets]. Drivers will have to bear and deal with these conditions during the race—while keeping their focus to win,” said Freihuber during the Manila 701: The Crazy Race Second Edition presscon.

Unique to this kind of event, this happening is a local one-of-a-kind at CKR, going nonstop from Saturday night, July 19, until Sunday, July 20. What will happen is really a big deal for the racers. This will test the durability of the equipment and the resilience of the drivers. It is cool but safe, and will really affect the track condition, as well as the lap times,” added Freihuber.

Although the race promises to bring a dose of fun, CKR maintains that safety will still reign. “All special effects to be used will not affect track conditions; they will be introduced to inject excitement while guaranteeing safety. Also, I recommend preparing properly for this event. Those who aren’t familiar with endurance karting will be surprised when you tell them you’re training for a kart race. Endurance karting can be grueling; it can be hard on both body and your kart if you’re not properly trained.”

For those looking for an unusual karting thrill, Wacky Races style, The Manila 701: The Crazy Race Second Edition is the perfect avenue. Log on to www.citykartracing.com or call 821-7087 for more information.

Let it all out!

NEVER one to miss a spectacle—even if required by Motor Image’s marketing honcho Ariel de Jesus to wear a suit—this writer had to attend the launch of the new Forester, Subaru’s version of the crossover SUV. And Subaru, true to its form, celebrated this event with a hoopla as grand as Rio’s carnivals.

YOU can be hip and you can be hop. Dodge has introduced a new vehicle in town that popped up real hard and it can blow your imagination to the top!

Lived to tell

ONCE upon a time, not so long ago, this writer experienced something harrowing that may be of interest to the casual motorist. Kept within the confines of his mind for so long, the experience still gives him nasty flashbacks.

Wacky Races redux

HANNA-BARBERA’S Wacky Races showed that even an automobile race can have a bunch of obstacles—both natural and man-made—that can render even the best of strategies moot and level the field.

Eyes on the Road: Greed is behind the skyrocketing oil prices

IF I had my way, I would choose the development of electric vehicles over any other technologies that are being introduced to combat the spiraling cost of oil these days.

Full Tank: Of Subaru, Honda, Toyota and Pocholo

I HAVE yet to drive it, but I have this feeling the second-generation Forester, Subaru’s brand-new babe, will really prove to be another winner in the discriminatingly picky SUV segment.