Pilot touches car for 70 hours

JAKARTA: A pilot won a Suzuki Grand Escudo XL-7 car on Sunday after standing and touching it for 70 hours, 35 minutes and 39 seconds over four consecutive days in a competition at Taman Anggrek Mall in West Jakarta.

Pilot Boy Awali of East Jakarta defeated 19 competitors and broke last year's record held by Abraham Rahanra of Bandung, West Java, who touched a car for 69 hours and 59 minutes in a similar competition at the mall.

"Thank God. I'm happy," said the 29-year-old, who was accompanied by his parents.

The competition was organized by Metro TV and production house PT Freemantle Media.

Leo J. Suparwan, a Navy officer, and Edi Tamtomo, an offshore technician at an oil company came second and third respectively.

A staggering 17,000 people registered for the competition but the field was reduced to 20 participants after interviews and psychological tests. Just 6,500 people registered for last year's competition.-Antara