Power Wheels Magazine A Notch Above
Petroleum company Unioil fielded a team of 25 car drivers and 50 motorcycle riders at the recently concluded Cannonball 2016, which challenged participants to complete either the 500-kilometer, 12-hour Sprint route or the 1,200-kilometer, 24-hour Endurance route. The Sprint and Endurance routes took participants through provinces in Northern Luzon and included stops in Tarlac, Nueva Ecija, Isabela, Tuguegarao, Cagayan, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, and Baguio.
At the closing ceremonies for Cannonball 2016, Team Unioil-Honda CBR PGMFI Gents was recognized as one of the few teams to have completed the 500-kilometer Sprint route within the allotted time. Team Unioil-Honda CBR PGMFI Gents is composed of Arcadio Sepnio Jr., Mark Louis Anthony Sacluti, Joel Allosada, Emmanuel Balmes, Bryan Balasuela, Constantine Valera, John Paul Reyes, Rommel Enguerra, Joel Narte, and Jean Oliver Lanuza.
In addition to Team Unioil-Honda CBR PGMFI Gents, Team Unioil’s lead car driver, Gaby dela Merced and her co-driver, Renan Morales, completed the Endurance route within the designated time. For dela Merced, who participated in Cannonball for the second straight year, driving with Euro 4 fuels made the difference.
“I am thrilled to have completed the Cannonball Endurance route a second time over and to have done this with the pound-for-pound best fuel in the country,” shared dela Merced. “We encountered different challenges this year, from getting through muddy roads to navigating construction sites to mastering a different car, but driving with Euro 4 fuels gave us great engine performance, which made for a better driving experience.”
Unioil President Kenneth C. Pundanera noted that the team’s performance served as a testament to the quality of Unioil’s Euro 4-compliant fuel products. “We’re pleased that our Euro 4 fuels were able to help the team conquer the different stresses that they encountered in their respective routes,” said Pundanera. “Our team’s performance in Cannonball 2016 only confirms that our products can fulfill their promise of better engine performance, better fuel efficiency, and better driving experience, even in the most challenging conditions.”
Pundanera highlighted that Unioil’s Euro 4 products exceeds the Philippine National Standards for Euro 4 fuels and is specially formulated with performance additives that enhances vehicle performance and driveability.
Tests conducted by the University of the Philippines’ Department of Mechanical Engineering showed that Unioil’s Euro 4 products led to improved fuel efficiency, equivalent to about 1.8% reduction in fuel consumption. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources also conducted tests comparing emissions of old and new diesel and gasoline-run vehicles using the usual Euro 2 fuels and Unioil’s Euro 4 fuels, and they found that Unioil’s Euro 4 fuels delivered up to 83% cleaner emissions.
For Pundanera, the benefits of going Euro 4 go beyond improving engine performance—it’s about making sure that responsible and sustainable driving becomes the norm.
“When we launched our Euro 4 products a few years back, we wanted to encourage Filipinos to take better care of their vehicles, by ensuring that the fuel grade that they use actually improves the engine’s performance. However, the benefits certainly go beyond enjoying a better driving experience,” said Pundanera. “Ensuring that our products meet both local and international standards is our way of helping more Filipinos become more conscientious drivers. That starts with caring about what goes into your gas tank and out of your tail pipe.”