Asia’s most anticipated endurance challenge kicked off at 1pm sharp today at Ngee Ann City’s Civic Plaza, with 400 participants from around the region vying to win a much coveted Subaru Car.

More than 900 competition hopefuls thronged the event site this morning, some as early as 7am, for the chance to take part in the final qualifying round and go into what is expected to be an arduous, four-day face-off to win the top prize of a Subaru car, additional titles and cash prizes.

Besides vying for the grand prize, regional contestants - from Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam - are also competing for three additional titles and cash prizes. The title of Country Winner will go to the last standing representative of each participating regional country, with a cash prize of S$1,000. The last regional contestant standing will win the Asian Winner title and walk away with S$5,000 in cash. The Country Team Winner title with a cash prize of S$10,000 will be awarded to the country that holds the longest standing time (combined from all 10 representatives of the same country).

A joint initiative by Motor Image Group and MediaCorp Pte Ltd, all 90 of the regional contestants (10 from each country) were selected after completing a series of endurance tests and games organised by Motor Image offices in the region and flown to Singapore on an all-expenses-paid trip to take part in the Asian face-off.

This year’s highlights include an extended break of 11 seconds during the evening break. This will allow contestants to utilise extra precious seconds to help them push further in their attempt to win the top prize. 

And for the very first time in the challenge’s history, the last 11 standing contestants will be awarded a “Wild Card”, where they can choose from a list of items such as a drink or a burger. This will change the dynamics of the challenge, as contestants will need to strategise how they will use the “Wild Card” to their best advantage.  

To enter the challenge, listeners in Singapore had to call in to MediaCorp’s Gold 90.5FM, Class 95FM or 987FM from 12 September - 19 October 2012 to enter the first qualifying round. The final qualifying contestants were determined by a draw this morning. Only Singapore and Permanent Residents are eligible to enter.

Another 10 lucky hopefuls qualified directly for the Challenge via participation of activities organized by Motor Image in an online activity on the “I LOVE SUBARU” Facebook Fan Page.
   
All 400 finalists will battle harsh weather conditions, sleep deprivation, hunger and thirst while keeping their right palms firmly on the Subaru cars stationed at the Ngee Ann City contest arena. Contestants are given a five-minute break once every six hours – at 1pm, 7pm, 1am and 7am.

For more information and updates, please visit the official website at www.xinmsn.com/carchallenge2012.