1,400 Kilometers on One Full Tank
Petron Xtra Mile Challenge Sets New Record
Posted 07 June 2006
The winning team of the Petron Xtra Mile Challenge finally ran out of fuel at the 1,400-kilometer mark, after having traversed the entire length of Luzon from the Petron station in Bangui, Ilocos Norte, all the way down to Matnog in Sorsogon, then crossing over to Allen, Northern Samar, and back-tracking through Bicol, stopping at Nabua town, just outside Naga City, Camarines Sur.
The marathon fuel economy run was won by the Visayan team Zayco Hermanos from Negros Occidental, consisting of brothers Emilio and Emmanuel Zayco, who managed to drive 1,400-kilometers on one full tank of Petron Xtra Unleaded. Close behind was the 37th Team from Nueva Ecija, made up of married couple Michael and Grace Asuncion, who reached 1,390 kilometers. Third place finisher was Team AR, captained by TV host/producer Ron de los Reyes with Julienne Cruz as his co-driver, crossing the 1,333-km mark. All top three winners drove a 1.3-liter Honda Jazz CVT.
Beyond the new record set by the winners of the Petron Xtra Mile Challenge was the extraordinary performance of all six competing teams. All managed not only to beat the earlier 1,114-km record set by racing legend Pocholo Ramirez; all cars made it across to Samar and back to Bicol.
The rest of the Xtra Mile Challengers attained the following distances: Team De Perio – Mark and Mina De Perio – 1,322 km; Team R2 – Randy Mencias and Allen Abarintos - 1,316 km; Team Eco Run – Randy Ravena and Joanna Antonio – 1,280 km.
In an interesting sidebar, a Honda Civic 1.8 MT, which ran unofficially under the same grueling conditions as the official contenders, recorded an amazing 1,301 km on one full tank of Petron Xtra Unleaded.
Petron Xtra Unleaded is an improved formulation containing gas saving boosters that promote more complete combustion for better fuel economy. Its unique additive system allows it to burn longer with more uniformity and produces more energy to maximize engine power. It also has an excellent detergent package that results in a cleaner engine and improved emissions.
The astounding performance of all vehicles was totally unexpected: all cars reached the southern tip of Luzon in Matnog, Sorsogon. Having ran out of road before they ran out of gas, the teams crossed over via ro-ro ferry to Allen, Northern Samar, spending the night there before back-tracking to Bicol where the winning team finally went empty in Nabua, Camarines Sur, just outside Naga City.
Observers from the national auto club Automobile Association Philippines (AAP) and the Car Awards Group Inc (CAGI) were present throughout the entire duration to ensure that the event was run in accordance with the conditions set forth by the organizers and to attest to the veracity of the results.
The Petron Xtra Mile Challenge was supported by Honda Cars Philippines, Smart 3G, PLDT WeRoam and PLDT myDSL.