Mazda Tops Auto Review Road Safety Olympics Leg 2

The second leg of the Auto Review Road Safety Olympics kicked off at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum in Manila in flying colors as the basketball, volleyball and other road safety activities were a hit among participants. Seven teams composed of a fifteen-man basketball team, a twelve mixed male/female volleyball contingent, a cheering group and a five-man amazing race squad demonstrated their grit, competitive spirit and camaraderie in promoting road safety awareness.

With about 300 in attendance at the historical gymnasium  in cooperation with the Philippine Sports Commission,  and with teams coming  from the private and government sectors, such as: Carmudi Philippines, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), the Pasig local government, Mazda Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas and media contingents from the Philippine Sportswriters Association and the motoring industry, the event did not only prove to be exciting, but also helped push a worthy cause as well.

"We're glad of the outcome of this event. Through sports we are able to somehow leave a mark in the minds of the participants about the importance of road safety," said Auto Review producer-host Ron de los Reyes.

Collegiate basketball superstar Kiefer Ravena, meanwhile, graced the event's opening ceremonies and led the oath of sportsmanship followed by the Pledge of Commitment to road safety bannered by Automobile Association Philippines Ms. Cynthia Reyes.

In a speech, Ravena, said, "It's the first time I heard something about this and I'm very happy to support it. I'm a road safety advocate as well and to the organizers, do continue on with this very worthwhile activity."

The De La Salle - College of Saint Benilde's Blazers pep squad, on the other hand, was able to give glee and spread the good vibe to everyone's delight before the start of the rigorous yet fun competitions also supported by  Chevrolet Phils, Hyundai, Bridgestone Tires, Isuzu Philippines, Mitsubishi Motors, Toyota Motor Phils., AGC Flat Glass Phils, BMW-Alabang and Maynilad.

The one-of-a-kind advocacy event, launched last January 24 at the SM by the Bay in Mall of Asia, Pasay City, is being staged likewise in collaboration with the  Department of Interior & Local Government, Philippine National Police,  Philippine National Red Cross and  with media partners Malaya Business Insight, Business Mirror, PTV 4, C! Magazine, Manila Broadcasting Company, DZSR Sports Radio and WheninManila.com.

In the basketball division, Team Mazda Skyactiv emerged on top in the finals of the winners’ bracket this time outsmarting the much-vaunted Pasig Amazing Brakes with a score of 63-54.

The Japanese carmakers' towering giants never let every drop of sweat to waste as they poured every ounce of energy in a see-saw ballgame that had Pasig Brakers breaking a well-played match only to conk out toward the homestretch. Skyactiv has now etched a part of history to become the first-ever champions of the event's basketball contest. Former De La Salle-CSB stalwart Philip Cowas declared Tournament MVP.

With the quirks of a modified contest mechanics in the one-day event, motoring media’s Write 'n Drive Road Warriors forfeited their bronze medal chances despite winning over Team Carmudi Go Green-lights. The undermanned Warriors was forced to default in the winners’ bracket.

Meantime, Carmudi was able to squeeze in a tightly contested third place finish after squaring a duel with the gritty players from the Philippine Sportswriters Association (PSA) Helmets. The encounter ended in a close 62-60 score.

The green squad had to overcome a tumultuous task of a fifteen-point deficit as they started off slow in the first half; yet they were able to regain strength in the final few minutes of the ball game before eventually grabbing the final spot on the podium.

Carmudi Philippines' country manager Subir Lohani was elated with his team's dramatic conclusion.

"It was a nerve-wrecking ending. I didn't expect it to be this exciting. I look forward to more of these activities. And hopefully through this, we were able to do our part in contributing to the advocacy," he added.

Meanwhile, the volleyball contest was a "needle in a haystack" championship match between Auto Review Road Safety Olympics beach volleyball victor, the UST Childlocks and new entry, the PSA Helmets.

The competition proved to be a "nail-biter" as the two tough teams were in seemingly countless deadlocks until the final moments of the game. Eventually, the PSA Helmets were declared winners after the young players from UST succumbed to a 21-25 defeat in the one-set match.

In other activities, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Seatbelts captured the crown at the cheering competition with their witty and well-executed performance. And the five-man Mazda Skyactiv team once again lorded over opponents in the Philippine Global Road Safety Partnerships' (PGRSP) creative and thought-provoking games on road safety consciousness. In the Amazing Race Road Safety contest, they garnered a total of 82 chips, followed by PSA with 78 and Pasig's 67 in third.

"We came up with these creative games to simulate actual situations on the road. It's a fun way of learning more about road safety," says PGRSP director Robert Suansing.

The event was not all about brawns and brains, but was also about beauty as Carmudi's charming Jheyan Duanan was recognized as the "Best Muse".

After the second leg, Team Mazda Skytiv now stands tall with a total of 89 points. MMDA Seatbelts comes in at 2nd place with 80 points while trailing by a narrow margin is Pasig Amazing Brakes 78 points. Meantime, new entry Carmudi Go Green Lights catches up at 4th with 45 points. The exciting next leg will be the Fuel Economy Run set on April, 2015.