Isuzu PH unleashes off-road prowess of D-Max, mu-X in the inaugural Rally Driving Immersion Project

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October 10, 2019

Last October 5, 2019, Isuzu Philippines Corporation (IPC) invited a group of motoring journalists to a weekend of thrills, spills, and everything in between at the Pradera Verde Rallycross track in Pampanga. The mission was to teach them a thing or two about the basics of rally driving, and how they may be able to use the skill to provide better inputs on their future car reviews.

The event, dubbed as the Rally Driving Immersion Project or RDIP, was spearheaded by veteran motoring journalist Anjo Perez. And together with IPC, Black Rhino Wheels, Nitto Tires, PIAA, SONAX, CTEK, Ichiro Motor Oils, Wuerth Philippines, and Red Bull, the one-day rally driving clinic also served as a teaching opportunity for the folks of the Philippine Rally School and Philippine Rallycross Series headed by champion rally driver Jun Magno.

Before the hands-on activities, Magno briefed the participants about the fundamentals of rally driving. Some of his inputs include the proper use of racing lines (Yes, just like circuit racing, rally racing also has ideal lines to which drivers can use to enter and exit corners more efficiently), proper braking, weight transfer techniques, and the importance of leaving a small margin of error to reorient the car, should it lose control.

After the briefing, the journalists were ushered into the machines used for the day, these being the Isuzu D-Max pickup and mu-X SUV. Both powered by a 3.0L turbodiesel mill with AT and 4WD, each participant was given the chance to pilot the machines through a specially built rallycross stage that brought out not only the trucks’ off-road capabilities, but also the drivers’ bravery and understanding of the lecture.

Event though not capable of driving due to physical limitations, this author was treated to a shotgun ride on the mu-X by Anjo Perez himself. With his extensive knowledge in rally driving and the things learned from Magno, Perez was able to stretch the trucks’ legs on the rallycross stage, attacking corners full speed and with full commitment. This will be the first of many RDIP events to come.

Photo by Randolph de Leon
Group photo by Anjo Perez

About the Author

Randolph de Leon
Randy is a person with disability (PWD), a partially-blinded person with only his left eye functioning. Since childhood, the automobile has always been his passion, and is able to express it through photography and most recently, through writing as well. Outside the motoring beat, Randy spends time manning the media aspect of his business which he co-founded with his sister/college classmate. It's called Dragonlight Wellness and Solutions, a multi-business venture centering on improving peoples' lives through earning.