MOTOKHANA is officially over for 2009!

What a blast everyone had at the third and last edition of the maiden year of MOTOKHANA, a rider skills competition, held at Super-8 Ortigas last 08 November 2009, Sunday.

MOTOKHANA 2009 is organized and managed by the National Racing Association (NRA) and is presented by Castrol Activ Premium.

This motorcycle rider challenge is unlike any the Philippines has seen before. It is the first of its kind in the country – and in the world – and can best be described as a “maverick event” that only the NRA — and its visionary, Mr. Jake Swann — can come up with.

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Being extremely new to the motorcycle sporting scene, there were the initial, as well as the expected, struggles for the organizer to preach and spread the gospel of MOTOKHANA.

And what is MOTOKHANA?

It’s basically the development and showcasing of good rider skills, healthy competition and camaraderie among riders, and the cultivation of proper and safe riding habits — through a really fun and enjoyable event.

It’s that simple.

But not that easy.

Unarguably, it takes time to understand what MOTOKHANA is all about…

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The first event held last 19 September 2009 at the Liberty Center in Mandaluyong City — despite the awesome set-up of bright orange cones, wireless electronic timing system,  LED displays, stark green and white tents, cheerful red and green buntings, banners and streamers covering every conceivable space available, beautiful and gorgeous promo models and even the presence of the Playboy Bunny – confirmed the hesitant (and “hiya”) nature of us Filipinos about joining something novel, unproven, and unheard of.

There was a low turn-out of participants.

But the NRA, in its’ strong belief in this new and upcoming motorcycle sporting religion, prodded on, and decided to introduce the “Ano ba ‘yang MOTOKHANA?” to the public by allowing into the course track anyone (provided they were in minimum safety gear) who wanted to try it out — for free. (“Get to know MOTOKHANA everyone – and have fun!” How best to convince someone about something, if not to let them try it out for themselves?)

Pilipinas, nagagalak kaming ipakilala ang MOTOKHANA! Game ka na ba?

The second event at SM-Southmall, Las Pinas last 18 October 2009 had a much improved turn-out. After the introduction of these free and open try-outs to the public, a sizable number of motor bikers then grew in confidence to participate, and the spectator gallery increased too.

This sudden rise in numbers after the first event also substantiated another culture trait of us Pinoys – “Kaya pala nila, ‘di kaya ko rin! Join na rin ako! Kaya ko ‘to!”

By the third event, however, last 08 / 8 (November 08 at Super in Cainta, it became apparent that MOTOKHANA had an unmistakable appeal to the riders, and was fast catching on.

It was a different scene altogether.

Despite the sun bearing down all day, the spectator galleries were packed, the participant tents were elbow to elbow, and the general event area swarmed with people who came to participate, watch, and celebrate the ideals the event promoted. MOTOKHANA fever had begun!

There were the returning participants, the regulars, and the newly-converted. There were the curious, the interested, and the “mirons”.

But the pleasant surprise of the day was how a big percentage of the competitors were first-time MOTOKHANA participants.

Which mean that – Finally, more riding Juans, Pablos, and Pedros (and Maria Claras) of this world also want to show what they’ve got!

So, without further adieu, here are the official results of MOTOKHANA – III, Ortigas-Cainta Edition, last 08 November 2009 at Super 8:

The crowd was more reactive and appreciative this time of the various skills and performances shown on the challenging MOTOKHANA course.

“Oohs and Aaahs” would be heard if a rider fell, dropped a bike, or put a foot down. Cheers and claps were energetic if a participant had a very good run. Applause would suddenly resound for a rider who’d slipped, but got up again, fiercely determined to finish their run. The cult of MOTOKHANA had arrived!

Of course, there was the presence of eye candy that surely made every MOTOKHANA fan’s day.

There were the gorgeous ladies of Castrol who graciously posed with everyone lining up at their fun photo booth. There was the disarming sultriness of Playboy Playmate Bettina Acosta, who gamely modeled for each and everyone’s camera while giving away complimentary copies of Playboy Magazine (Philippines).  And there were the stunning promo girls of the new YOU C1000 health drink (coming in orange and lemon flavors) from Indonesia, who also gave away drink samples in cold plastic cups to everyone in attendance.. This product perfectly quenched the thirst of everyone baking in the heat of the day.

There were the display and retail booths also — Inside Racing Magazine with their familiar red and white colors, Station 1 Ride Gear with their various riding accessories, and of course, presentor Castrol Lubricants, with their Activ Premium Oil, together with a “Pick-a-Prize” promo to boot – a chance to win a good looking Castrol Racing black and gray windbreaker jacket with every purchase of one bottle of Activ Premium.

The support and presence of MOTOKHANA’s sponsors was strong too.

BP Philippines, Inc. Country Marketing Manager, Mr. Paul Salapantan, and Castrol’s Marketing Manager for Motorcycle Oils, Ms. Erica Esguerra, were there, and so was Inside Racing’s big wig, Mr. Al Camba, and Mo2rista’s editor-in-chief, Mr. Maynard Marcelo.

So exciting were the competitions in the four classes of Solo-Scooter, Solo-Underbone, Solo-Motorcycles, and Team, that many people continued to stay well into the night until all the competition runs were completed

Awarding ceremonies followed a few minutes afterwards, with the top 6 finishers of each class gamely posing with their jumbo cheques and posing for group photo ops.

Everyone went home tired, but very happy.

MOTOKHANA is here to stay.

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The National Racing Association wishes to thank the following sponsors and media partners of MOTOKHANA:

Teknic Leathers, Aeromed Ambulance Transport, The Manila Bulletin, Businessworld, The Daily Tribune, The Manila Times, Inside Racing, Mo2rista, Scooterista, Cruising Magazine, Manila Bulletin Sports Digest, and Playboy Magazine (Philippines).

Appreciation also goes out to Easy Trailer (distributed by New Heraldine Trading).

MOTOKHANA is a special Partner Event of www.motorcyclephilippines.com.

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Finally, much gratitude goes out to all the MOTOKHANA 2009 participants, guests, audience, friends, and to everyone who enthusiastically cheered, supported, welcomed, believed in, and promoted this new event in their own big and little way.

See you all in MOTOKHANA 2010! It’s just around the corner… so, ano pa ang hinihintay ninyo?

Ihanda na ang bike, lisensya, at gear!

Mag-MOTOKHANA ka na!

Last Aug 29 to 30, nineteen bikers from all over the land with all kinds of motorcycles got together to have the First Ever Bikers Ride Retreat at the lake Garden Hotel in cold Tagaytay City. From the very beginning, it was clearly blessed by God – an exact number of attendees, sponsors pouring in, materials arriving just in time, great weather, no accidents during travel, (except one or two prior to the group’s take off) for etc. It was as if God had seen things thru and planted everything at the exact time it was needed and for the exact reason.

At 5am on the morning of the 29th at Shell the Fort, bikers with underbones, cruisers, sportbikes, scooters and the like started to arrive. Right off the bat, the friendship these strangers shared was already showing evidence of a great turnout. There was a sense of sincere camaraderie in the air equaled only by the fine crisp cool morning breeze. Although a few delays occurred, nothing could stop this group from having fun and riding in unison in search of the Spiritual experience offered by the retreat.

At around 7am, we were on our way. The travel to Tagaytay was pleasant and fun. As usual, the pack did not hold together in one line but instead met up & re-grouped at every turn. This is a trademark of the FaithRiders. It seems that no matter how hard they try to hold the line, it just wouldn’t. BUT it always turns out for the good. Everyone arrived safely and had fun as every ride should be.

At the retreat, God worked slowly but surely in ever single participant. This was seen thru the initial cold start of sharing amongst strangers which got warmer and warmer until the night of the first day where everyone was feeling God’s presence and was being awakened to the reality of His love and sacrifice. By the time the night session was closing, everyone has a more refreshed spirit, a renewed passion for God.

It was discussed how life is a spiritual battle more than the physical. It was also discussed how important God’s love is in our lives if only we would pay attention to it. Many of us refuse or forget God’s love and sacrifice for us but during the retreat, these points were reiterated and made a welcome invitation to love God back in ways we either have neglected, forgotten or misunderstood. The discussions and presentations were both enlightening and realistic.

As bikers, the need to ride was of course still to be pleased so most of the participants joined in for a quick night ride for bulalo (as if they haven’t eaten dinner yet). It was a cold night to ride but that was all part of the experience. Safely back, everyone retired for the night.

The next day was more fun and fellowship than anything. There were a few more topics discussed, a fun presentation and a few games. The previous day’s homework of reflecting on one’s life and deciding to make a commitment to God was also discussed and its importance explained by the invited Pastor/Biker Ronnel (aka Cruizer_Byker). Awarding of the winning teams and giving away the gift tokens was the ending activity and the retreat was closed by a solemn prayer.

All in all, the retreat was a refresher for most, an eye opener for some but definitely a memorable experience for all. Everyone, young & old, easy rider or speed freak, small or big bike owner came home with a renewed attachment with God and a fresher perspective on their mortal selves.

For all the participants of the First Ever Bikers Ride Retreat – AWOOoooH!

God bless you all and lets all ride for the greater glory of God!

Special Thanks
In alphabetical order

Boni – for his financial support
Danny – for the financial support, admin support, his enlightening talk & bulalo dinner treat
Dencio – for his financial support
Emz – for the assistance in preparing for the retreat & the gift items
Jandi – for his help in preparing for the retreat and his interesting talk & games
Jeff – for dropping by despite his family situation & helping out
Jim – for his financial support
Jimmy – for his moral and promotional support on his Hardcore Brothers Radio show on NU 107 (every sun night @ 8pm)
Lake Garden Hotel – for their hospitality & discoutns
Nica – for helping out unconditionally
Overdose – for the gift items given to the attendees as token remembrances
Pat – for his financial support
Restie – for his financial support
Terminal Hopper – for his financial support

Most Especial Thanks to Pastor Ronnel for being the spiritual leader on the retreat.

Next scheduled Bikers Ride Retreat is 4th quarter 2010. All interested groups who would like to have their own private Bikers Ride Retreat (Minimum 10 attendees), feel free to contact FaithRiders Motorcycle Ministry thru Kaskasero at 0918-9067409 and frmotoministry@gmail.com.

Jesus ROCKS!

July 26, 2009 was the most awaited date for Volunteer Riders who wants to join the Ride For A Cause (RFAC).

Now on its second year, another successful ride of RFAC was accomplished.  This ride was delayed for a week because no beneficiary has been selected.  Due to time constraint and the Volunteers don’t want to miss the once a month RFAC ride, the COE’s decided to revisit the first beneficiary a year ago.  It was the children of Brgy. Maate, Famy Laguna.  This place is situated in the highland of Laguna Province.

With the volunteerism in mind, Once COE’s braved the dark of the night and bad weather to coordinate with Barangay Officials of this planned ride. Since his most dependable and reliable is now with the new owner, this COE’s borrowed a motorcycle to accomplish his assignment.

Now there is a selected beneficiary and date it was posted in the Rides and Touring Section of www.motorcyclephilippines.com/forums/. From the opening of the said thread, Volunteer Riders one after the other posted their names as the list grows longer and longer, from the Regular Riders of RFAC to Newbies (first time to RFAC).

As the Ride day come, early morning rain starts to fall, SMS was transmitted from COE’s to COE’s for weather check at their locations.  From Season 1 and first two (2) Rides of Season two, rains didn’t stop these volunteers to continue their mission.

At the assembly point, Volunteers started to arrive one after the other. The organizers started to distribute red ribbon to Riders and White ribbon for Ride Officials. These ribbons where use for easy identification.  A brief rundown was made for the basic Riding Rules and a prayer before take off.

A gasoline station in Famy, Laguna was the last stop before proceeding to the children. In here donations was collected, from goods to cash.  They were able to raise funds enough to buy rice and instant noodles aside from the same brought by the Riders. Some donated canned goods and used clothing.

A few kilometers ride from gasoline station to Baranggay Hall with narrow and twisted cemented road was tackled by the Riders and a couple of minor mishap happened due to slippery and rough portion of the road.

From a far we can see the children are lined up and waiting for the Riders.  As the merchandise arrived Volunteer Lady Riders packed the goods for easy distribution.  While waiting the children was treated with candies.

The Baranggay Captain together with his Two (2) Lady Kagawad welcomed the Riders and he was very happy that his constituents were chosen as the beneficiaries.  As a token of their appreciation, the Riders were treated with fresh coconut to quench their thirst.

As the children leave one after the other with a bag of goodies, seeing their smiles makes the volunteers to look for the next RFAC Ride.

We would like to thank all the Volunteers and Donors for the next RFAC Ride.

Your kind heartedness is not for the RFAC but for our less privilege countrymen.

As our motto “Naka Ride Ka Na Nakatulong Ka Pa”

See you All

Happy and Safe Ride

By focusing on Philippine markets (pamilihang bayan), ArtPetron 9 sends out an open invitation to bask in the sense of community and abundance in the different traditional markets all over the country. Much of Philippine culture is deeply embedded in these public places, reflecting values of trust, industriousness, and pride in one’s produce.

Entries to ArtPetron 9 must feature pride in the Filipino vendors and in our country’s produce. Markets depict richness of life; each speaks of the unique identity of its locality. It proudly highlights its hometown’s distinct products — tuna market in Saranggani, danggit market in Cebu, strawberry fields in Baguio, vegetable market in Benguet. Philippine markets define who we are.

ArtPetron’s 9th National Student Art Competition is open to all students 15 to 28 years old who are enrolled in a college or university program or in a museum-based painting/photography class.

Student artists may compete in three categories, with the following criteria: Watercolor or Water-based Media — surface must be watercolor paper or illustration board; unframed size not more than 4 ft x 4 ft. Oil or Acrylic — surface must be canvas, canvas paper or wood; unframed size not more that 4 ft x 4 ft. Colored Photography — unframed size is between 8 x 10 inches to 10 x 15 inches; original photograph taken after 28 February 2009; not previously exhibited or awarded a prize in another contest; not corrected or manipulated in any post-production activity. Entrants must declare type of camera used; digital photography allowed; filters allowed.

Six grand prize winners (three from each painting category) will receive P50,000 and an ArtPetron trophy made by National Artist Napoleon Abueva, who is also the chairman of the ArtPetron board of judges. Six runners-up (three from each painting category) will receive P20,000 and an ArtPetron trophy. In the photography category, six grand prize winners will be awarded P30,000 and an ArtPetron trophy, while six runners-up will receive P15,000 and an ArtPetron trophy.

Application forms are available from the President’s or Fine Arts Dean’s office in all schools and universities, participating Petron service stations and bulk plants nationwide, or from the ArtPetron Secretariat office at Studio 5 Designs, telephone 8953971. A downloadable application form is also available from the website: www.artpetron.com.

Deadline for submission of entries is 24 July 2009 at Petron bulk plants nationwide or 31 July 2009 at the ArtPetron Secretariat.

All new crazy antics, new features, stories, weirdness and lotsa bike love!!!

Fun and giggles guaranteed in every copy…. so squash some bugs on your helmet shields and head on over to your nearest magazine stands and get a copy now!

Having recently taken up mountain biking late last year, it became obvious to me that I had reaped the benefits of a better health level in terms of riding my motorcycle. My legs were stronger, my senses were much more heightened and my balance was a whole lot better. I had often wondered what kind of exercises do we really need to help us in our day to day riding.

Make no mistake, riding a motorcycle everyday is an exercise in itself, but I’m pretty sure that there are exercises out there that can tune our body to perform better on the road.

I found this gem of an article, online, explaining the benefits of motorcycle specific exercises….

So what can we do to improve our performance in sporty street or track-day riding for a minimum amount of cash outlay? We’re a big fan of track schools, and believe that every serious sportbike rider should attend at least one – saving your money to attend a track school will make a far bigger difference in your skill, safety, and lap times than spending an equivelent amount on bike upgrades. But what if the recent holiday season has wiped out your cash reserves, and your bank account balance (or lack thereof) brings you to the brink of tears? Well, you can do what top pro riders do while not riding their motorcycle . . . develop your own body.

Read the rest of the article here.

Now I’m off to the gym!

So how did the country get it’s more than 12 million riders to wear one? Well, it all started with ad campaigns such as this:

On December 15, 2007, wearing a helmet became mandatory (Government Decree Number 32 – Mandatory Helmet Law) to all motorbike riders in Vietnam. My recent visit there is proof that indeed, everyone now wears a helmet there and not just in Ho Chi Minh but in the rural areas as well. Our tour guide said not everyone is happy with the new law but all are forced to comply than pay the fine of 200,000 dong or roughly about U$D12.

And since the “coolness” factor ranks high for most Vietnamese riders, some of their helmets (they used to jokingly refer to these protective headgears as “rice cooker”) don’t look like helmets at all! For a rider like me, Vietnam roads was practically an endless showroom of fancy helmets money could buy. There are ones that are shaped like baseball caps, cowboy hats, bowler, sola topee, and knitted beanies. There are colorful visors made of cloth attachable to a plain-looking helmets. At one time, I think I even saw a helmet that looks like the familiar Vietnamese straw hat. You name it, they have it!

• You may see some samples here.