Last Palm Standing—An up close look at a test of wills

Singapore – No less than 400 contestants from nine Southeast Asian countries have gathered in this beautiful island city to vie for a brand new Subaru in Last Palm Standing – Mediacorp Subaru Car Challenge, one of Asia’s largest and toughest urban endurance competitions. 

Advertisement

Aside from a new car, cash prizes await contestants as they brave the elements and battle fatigue to break the record of 82 hours and 16 minutes. 

Last Palm Standing – Mediacorp Subaru Car Challenge now underway at Ngee Ann City, situated in Singapore’s premier shopping district. Contestants from Singapore, Philippines, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam will place their right palms onto specified palm decals on a Subaru car and keep it there until one last contestant remains. They will be given a five-minute break every six hours

The final contestant standing with his or her palm firmly placed on the car will drive home a brand-new (depending on his or her home country): 

Subaru XV 2.0i-S EyeSight (Cambodia) 
Subaru XV 2.0i (China) 
Subaru XV 2.0i-S EyeSight (Hong Kong) 
Subaru XV 2.0i-P (Malaysia) 
Subaru Forester 2.0i-L (Philippines) 
Subaru XV 2.0i-S EyeSight (Singapore) 
Subaru Forester 2.0i-L EyeSight (Taiwan) 
Subaru Forester 2.0i-L (Thailand) 
Subaru Forester 2.0i-L (Vietnam 

Contestants who cross the three-hour mark stand to win additional prizes worth up to S$10,000, as well as receive cash incentives for enduring 48 hours and more. 

Members of the public and supporters can also get a taste of the challenge by placing their palms on a Subaru vehicle and posing for pictures. They can also take part in retro arcade games such as Bishi Bashi, Daytona USA and Pac-Man. Alongside the main challenge, Singapore celebrities and past Car Challenge winners will take part in a special charity challenge to raise funds for the less fortunate. 

Debra Soon, Head of Group Corporate Management at Tan Chong International Limited, said: “This annual event has grown from strength to strength and emerged as one of the most highly-anticipated endurance competitions in Asia. Through this deceptively simple but immensely grueling contest, we hope to inspire more people to push themselves beyond their limits and achieve their biggest goals, as aligned with the philosophy behind the Subaru brand.” 

The Mediacorp Subaru Car Challenge has welcomed crowds to Ngee Ann City annually since 2002 and is in its 18th edition. The winner last year was Analiza Binte Mokhtar, who clocked 75 hours and 17 minutes. The only non-Singaporean to have won the competition to date is Vietnamese Nguyen Phuoc Huynh in 2015. He lasted 77 hours and 58 minutes.