BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

ALL five vehicles representing Brunei Darussalam passed their technical inspection at the Brunei Shell Eco-Marathon (SEM) Asia in the Philippines.

A statement from Brunei Shell Petroleum (BSP) said that it was a successful event for Brunei Darussalam as all of the teams, consisting students of Sultan Bolkiah Vocational School (SVSB), Pusat Latihan Mekanik (PLM) and Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD) made it through yesterday.

“The heat from the scorching sun in Manila did not discourage the students from making sure their vehicles made it on the tracks,” said the statement.

Prior to the journey to the Philippines, the students knew they will face challenges of a new country and a new race track.

This was the first year Shell Eco-Marathon Asia took place on the streets of Luneta Park in Manila.

Previously it was held at the Sepang International Circuit in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

“The new urban setting was designed to test the boundaries of fuel efficiency in a real world environment,” explained the statement.

From the start, the Bruneian teams did not waste any time.

“Their first challenge was to take their vehicle through technical inspection, before it was allowed onto the track,” added the statement.

The inspection done on these ‘eco-vehicles’ ensured the driver has a 180 degree vantage point and can evacuate within 10 seconds in case of an emergency.

Among the Bruneian representatives at the event was the all-girls team PLM Alpha 2 with a battery-electric-powered prototype.

“I felt the technical inspection was very strict,” said Nor Muqsitiah Nordin.

“But that obstacle inspired me to learn new skills on how my team and I can improve on our vehicle,” added Nor Muqsitiah, the second driver of PLM Alpha 2.

“We want to show that girls can do just as well as boys” said DK Najah Damia, assistant manager for Team PLM Alpha 2.

Two Bruneian teams, each from PLM and UBD, participated in the Prototype category of the competition.

The other three teams, two from SVSB and one from PLM, competed in the Urban Concept vehicle categories of the competition.

The Eco-Marathon features teams from 15 countries across Asia and the Middle East.

Teams submitted vehicle entries in either the Urban Concept or Prototype category in any of the seven different energy types.

Results are measured on who can drive the furthest on 1 kWh or 1 litre of fuel equivalent.

The Brunei Times.