CAITA 2010: Surviving a Super Typhoon

“After driving more than 11 hours, we barely covered half of today’s journey towards Hanoi.
The continuous rain has caused massive flood in central of Vietnam.
We must have had driven through miles after miles of 1-meter deep water.
It was quite a worrying experience as my car may stall.
We finally arrived at a hotel in Vinh City for dinner.
This was originally our lunch destination.
Then we received news that the road towards Hanoi will be flooded over many sectors.
It was getting dark and we were terribly concerned about having to drive through more flooded areas during the dark hours.

Fortunately, the Rally Commander decided to call it a day.Without any delay, we were checked into the same hotel where we just had our dinner.
As I am writing, the rain continues to pour heavily outside the hotel room window.

The cancellation of the night driving may result into a longer driving distance for tomorrow’s journey.If that is the case, our morning call may be as early as 4 am.
There is nothing we could do other than to wait for further instructions.
Meanwhile, we witnessed the arrival of the last group of rally cars at the hotel around 11:30pm.
The group was painfully delayed by the breaking down of 2 vehicles whilst threading water through the flood.

While we were comforting the crew of the latter group, we heard breaking news over CNN.
It was reported that Luzon, Philippines (similar latitude as our current location in Vietnam) will be expecting Super Typhoon.
At this very moment, the air is filled with so much uncertainty for everyone in the rally convoy.”
The above is an extract from one of my daily mission reports forwarded to Singapore Motors Sports Association (SMSA). It was written close to midnight on 18 Oct 2010. Though worried, I was relieved that the Singapore team managed to complete the most challenging part of the rally route without any major incident.

Having led the Singapore team in all previous CAITA’s since 2006, I must say that this year’s edition has been the toughest by far. Seasonal monsoon coupled with record rainfall around central part of Vietnam threaten the progress of the rally. As a result, the organiser had to repeatedly impose official delays on the rally schedule. To make matter worse, there were a high number of vehicle breakdowns. Here’s an insight on how my Santa Fe and I survived the marathon drive relatively unscathed.

The car, seen below with Hyundai and Komoco Motors liveries applied across its side doors, was registered in 2007.


The mileage on the car was nearing 50,000 km when I had its maintenance service and pre-rally preparation works done at Komoco Motors. This Santa Fe was used as the lead car of the convoy during CAITA 2009. The performance was highly commendably that it became a logical choice to use the same car again. And what a wise decision it turned out to be!


The trusty engine provided useful mid-range torque on the tricky B-roads in rural areas of Cambodia and Vietnam. Yet, it was neither harsh nor noisy when the engine was extended during overtaking manoeuvres. Same can be said for the suspension and brake systems. The car remains poised over broken roads and rode on the new highways with superlative comfort. Ultimately, it was Santa’s ability to wade through the flooded terrain that amazed me.


The Santa Fe is seen here embarking on a ‘watermanship’ course amid the chaotic condition.
(Note the boat on the right)



Our initial progress over the flooded areas was expectedly cautious and nervous. The engine rev on the Santa Fe was maintained around 1,300 rpm to prevent water getting into the exhaust. At the same time, I applied my left foot gently on the brake in order to slow the car to a constant speed, thus avoiding water splashing onto the grill and bonnet. Every now and then, we would momentarily lose directional control over deep water. And, occasionally, we were ‘drifted’ by strong under currents brought along by each passing heavy vehicle. The experience was rather scary. But the fears gradually subsided as both the car and the crew learnt to ‘thread’ water. Soon, we started to overtake some slow rowing boats. We even managed to sneak ahead of a Rover Rover to take this photograph.



Unlike the much publicised flash floods in Orchard Road, we saw no end of flooding in Vietnam. Few houses withstood the weather. Even fewer survivors were found sitting on the roofs, waiting to be rescued. Many a time, we had no clue as to when we can get onto a higher ground. As we chased a Toyota Prado in below picture, one would have easily mistaken the sight as a naval exercise.



The number of ‘casualties’ increased as the days passed by. A total of 6 cars were classified as DNF – Did Not Finish. These cars had to be towed to the end point at Nanning, China. Yet, as the rally come to an end, the Santa Fe displayed readiness for another marathon drive. In terms of reliability and performance, it has once again matched and, in some cases, outshone the pricier makes/models such as Hummer, Jeep, Range Rover, Land Rover Discovery, BMW X5 / X6 and Toyota Landcruiser / Prado. Best of all, the Santa Fe remains the undisputedly no. 1 value for money SUV.

The car has since returned to Singapore via sea freight. After such a gruelling event, the Santa Fe does not require any repair, tuning or adjustment. It is back to its usual role of providing daily transport for me and my family. The car is so amazingly trouble-free that the next service at 60,000km interval may well be another ‘routine exercise’. I am thankful for the versatility of my Hyundai and the support provided by Komoco Motors.


[This story was published in The Komoco Chronicle Vol 6.1]

Orient Driveaway 2010 – Southern Wonders

For the past 20 years, the North-South Highway allows countless motorists from Singapore to travel to destinations like Malacca, Kuala Lumpur and even Penang with relative ease. As a result, the vibrancy of many stop-over towns in the southern state of Johor was adversely affected by this phenomenon. Hence, the idea of re-visiting some of these ‘forgotten’ places became the theme for this year’s edition of Orient Driveaway.

Johor is the southern-most state of peninsula Malaysia and approximately 19 times the size of Singapore. There are many attractions that are a short drive within each other. And, best of all, admission is either free or charged at only a minimal fee. The following picture essay will highlight some of these interesting places.

1. This information centre located on a fort provides historic records of Johor Lama – former capital of Johor.



2. Fire engines from the 50’s, 70’s and 90 are on display at this private garage in Sungai Rengit.




3. Completed in 1985, the Johore Circuit in Pasir Gudang has been frequented by a steady stream of motorsport enthusiast over the years. Despite its age, the track remains very challenging.



4. A drive-thru at the mini-world theme park near Air Hitam can be rather educational for both young and old.



5. This nostalgic boat ride around the fishing village at Kukup is equally educational.



6. Do you know that there are more than a thousand crocodiles residing at a farm in Teluk Sengat? Here’s a newborn greeting visitors at the entrance.



7. Until recently, the hot spring in Muar has been a well-kept secret. Admission is free and the facilities are clean and well maintained.



8. Within the state of Johor, many lives were lost during World War 2. Generalissimo Chiang Kai Shek personally penned the scripts at this War Memorial in honour of the Chinese who were killed by the Japanese.




What else do we do besides visiting these attractions? Below is an insight for those who wish to join us on a Driveaway event -

Participating cars are usually led by ‘live’ instruction via walkie talkies. Taking into account transmission range and the need for clear radio signal, the number of cars per convoy is normally capped at 12. Here’s a look at the travelling format of our convoy.



Pre-planned stops are scheduled to allow toilet breaks, petrol top-up, road side shopping etc. However, during the Orient Driveaway 2010, an irresistible sight forced us to make this unscheduled stop.



All participants unanimously agreed to ‘pay homage’ to the king of fruits.



The camaraderie and, of course, the food brought much satisfaction.



We never failed to have a group shot.



And there will always be something strange to discover. This ‘swallow house’ seen in the picture below may be easily mistaken as a godown. The exterior of the building is characterized by the multi holes on the wall while the interior is normally dark and moist. Such a building is a common sight along the coastal areas of Johor. Using pre-recorded DVD and amplifier, the owner will transmit chirping notes to attract passing birds into the building to build nests. These nests will, in turn, be harvested for a handsome profit.



First-time participant Alex enjoyed the Driveaway as much as his new Orient diving watch.


On behalf of BIG Rallye, I am thankful to all sponsors and participants for another successful event. We look forward to have you for the next Driveaway.