Shell Eco-marathon car race revs up

The Shell Eco-marathon Asia 2014 kicked off Friday on the streets surrounding Luneta Park in Manila with more than 100 teams from 15 countries vying in the super-mileage competition set in an urban setting for the first time in history.

Student teams, including 15 from the Philippines, paraded a myriad designs of their fuel efficient vehicles in the competition which will have two categories for prototype and UrbanConcept models.

Indonesia has the most number of teams with 18, while Malaysia is fielding 16. India has 13 participants, with Thailand sending 11 and Pakistan fielding eight. Egypt, a first-time participant, has sent two teams to the competition where success is measured by the distance covered by the car on a liter of fuel.

This year’s competition marks the first time the event is held in Manila, after its staging in the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia last year.

The prize money for the winners include $2,000 and $1,000 for champions and runners up in both categories.

Other awards that will be given in the event are six off-track honors are communications, vehicle design, technical innovation, safety, perseverance and spirit of the event and Shell Helix Tribology Award.

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