Fuel-saving minibuses join rally

Fuel-saving minibuses join rally

JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Education and Culture Wardiman
Djojonegoro has urged the public to be more fuel conscious in
this era of depleting energy reserves.

Speaking at the National Monument (Monas) park yesterday, the
minister officiated the send-off of 22 minibuses participating in
the Laga Pantura 50 rally.

The event will award those minibuses with the best fuel-saving
modifications. Wardiman said the rally could also be regarded as
an effort of the private sector to bring the students closer to
"the real world".

The winning minibuses, driven by student teams from 22
universities in Java, will use less than 50 liters of diesel fuel
to cover a distance of 770 kilometers from Jakarta to Surabaya
via Semarang. The amount of diesel fuel normally consumed for
that distance is about 90 liters.

The buses are scheduled to reach Surabaya tomorrow.

The champion will receive an Isuzu Panther minibus, a cash
prize of Rp 10 million (US$4,300) and a trophy from the Ministry
of Education and Culture, said the rally's organizing committee
chairman, Bintoro Tjitrowirjo.

The runner-up and second runner-up will also get trophies and
cash prizes of Rp 5 million ($2,150) and Rp 2 million ($852),
respectively.

In addition, a scholarship of Rp 600,000 ($260) will be given
to the participants who finish without violating any rally rules.

A team from Gadjah Mada University told The Jakarta Post that
the participants were only given three weeks to modify their
vehicles.

"We were not allowed to alter the vehicle's body to make it
more economical, but we were allowed to remove passenger seats,"
said Rosyid, the team's driver.

"We spent less than Rp 1 million to modify the engine to make
it more economical," added Toscha, the team's navigator. (26)