Petaling Jaya, 20th December 2010 – With a total of 56 finalists, thousands of meters scaled in 5 hours, endless cheers and nail-biting moments in Camp 5, One Utama last Saturday, the Get on the Rock! with Honda City rock climbing competition officially came to an end. The nimble Hafzanizam Bakhori, 28, emerged Champion in the Pro Climber Category while team Gang Gang Gruu were cheerful winners in the Open Category.
The crowd on that sunny Saturday was all cheers for Hafzanizam, the rock climbing coach who had successfully topped out (reached the highest point on) the El Capitan wall, named after the 3,000-foot vertical rock formation in Yosemite National Park in California USA, which was once considered impossible to climb. A relatively new addition to Camp 5, the El Capitan is tagged as the tallest indoor climbing wall in Malaysia by the Malaysia Book of Records.
The professional rock climbing coach walked home with a chance of a lifetime to train with the pro team of Tivoli, under the guidance of Reini Scherer in an all-expenses-paid trip to Austria worth RM13,000, plus RM2,000 in cash.
Having climbed for the past 12 years, Hafzanizam, more fondly known as Zam was determined to win the grand prize – especially as it meant getting a rare opportunity to train with the best of the best in the rock climbing arena.
“I have always trained in Malaysia and have not been abroad. So, I trained really hard for this competition and hoped to train with the Tivoli team guided by Reini Scherer in Austria. I am really happy that my effort has paid off,” said the beaming winner.
Zam was a true epitome of one who seeks advancement in life, something which is encouraged by Honda City in the competition. With 12 years of hard work behind him and still continuing to progress, Zam has never ceased to improve his moves and efficiency on the rock. He is scheduled to meet the Tivoli Team in Austria next month.
In the Open Category, there were a total of 25 teams who had their eyes fixed on the outdoor adventure rock climbing trip in Krabi, Thailand worth RM3,500 along with a 1-year Camp 5 membership.
After two arduous hours, the team that goes by the name of Gang Gang Gruu proved that it was mind over muscles. Together as a team, Malindo Herman Putra, 30, and Mohd Redha Rozlan, 22, climbed a total of 860 meters and emerged Champions for the Open Category.
Having climbed for more than 7 years and 9 years respectively, the lean-framed Malindo and Mohd Redha took the competition seriously and trained consistently for the past 1 month.
When interviewed, the ecstatic Malindo shared that, “We are really happy that we won and we can’t wait for greater adventures in Krabi,” said Malindo.
In conjunction with the introduction of Honda City in Taffeta White, Honda Malaysia took the opportunity to promote the notions of advancement in life with a month-long rock climbing competition themed Get on the Rock! with Honda City. Announced in November, the rock climbing competition was originally inspired by the buying attitude of Honda City’s customers, where the purchase decision was deemed a part of progression in life.
Speaking at the prize giving ceremony was Mr. Takeshi Hirano, Head of Sales and Marketing of Honda Malaysia, “We are really happy that Get on the rock! with Honda City has been well-received among the people. It is indeed an honour for the Company to have a product such as Honda City that is capable of delivering such emotional fulfillment to its customers. Although the competition has come to an end, we hope that the notions to advance in life will continue to thrive in all that we do.”
Everyone is invited to advance in life with Honda City that is now available in Taffeta White. Catch a glimpse of the action from the Get on the rock! with Honda City rock climbing competition on www.facebook.com/hondacity.
Mr. Takeshi Hirano, Head of Sales and Marketing of Honda Malaysia expresses the Company’s appreciation to all competitors.
From left to right – Mr. Takeshi Hirano posing with the winner of the Pro Category, Hafzanizam Bakhori, Camp 5 Director Jeremy Peet and Managing Director of Camp 5 Patrick Andrey.
From left to right - Mr. Takeshi Hirano with members of Gang Gang Gruu, the winning team in the Open Category (Malindo Herman Putra and Mohd Redha Rozlan) and Jeremy Peet.
Hafzanizam Bakhori gives his best effort on the El Capitan, the tallest indoor climbing wall in Malaysia as announced by the Malaysia Book of Records.
A watchful crowd at Camp 5 during the final assault on the 20-meter El Capitan wall.
