Tough course hounds Ebdane Offroad bets

SAN FELIPE, ZAMBALES—A course designed to make life difficult for offroaders that even a former champion couldn’t hurdle was unveiled in the 2nd Jun Ebdane 4×4 Offroad Challenge  here yesterday.

Noel Bartolome Sr., seasoned by a string of national titles and 17-year-old Jep Magsombol failed to survive the elimination round of the two-day event, which lured 27 drivers from major offroad clubs in the country.

Magsombol and Bartolome were DNFs (Did Not Finish) in the highly technical and demanding Tracks A and B, respectively, that featured a series of deep, muddy obstacles, a five-foot high stockpile of tires and an even tougher 10-foot mass of sand known as “Governor’s Hill.”

Testing the guile of every off-roader, the course was designed by the National Association of Filipino Off-Roaders for the event that showcases one of Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr.’s sports programs.

Ebdane flagged off the participants after a brief opening ceremony graced by second district Rep. Omar Ebdane and San Felipe Mayor Caroline Fariñas, and witnessed by enthusiasts  who came in droves to marvel at how the  4×4 machines roll on the track.

“We are making headway in our goal to promote Zambales as the destination for sports tourism. Even during the rainy seasons, there are activities that tourists can enjoy,” said Ebdane.

Survivors of the elimination runs will compete in today’s  finals  where the top performers could bring home a huge chunk of the over P200,000 in prizes put up in the event organized by the Zambales Sports and Youth Development Office under Eric Matibag.

Drivers from the Pampanga Off-Roaders Club, San Jose Del Monte 4-Wheelers, Bicol Off-Roaders Club, Land Cruiser Club of the Philippines, Santiago (Isabela) Extreme, Cauayan (Bulacan) Off-Road Club, Binangonan Rizal Off-Roaders, Suzuki Club, Ilocos Sur 4×4 Offroaders and Nueva Ecija Offroaders joined the challenge.