SINGAPORE – About 17 hours into the Tan Chong Car Challenge, service engineer Chan Kok Seng nearly gave up, but he won out by keeping his hand on a car for 30 hours with the help of love and meditation.
It was not easy to stand in the sweltering heat for so long without losing contact with the car except during the stipulated five-minute breaks – and completing a raft of mini challenges that were part of the challenge. Only the love for his wife of 33 years kept him from throwing in the towel.
Said Mr Chan, 56: “I was very close to giving up but I waited for my wife. I wanted her to see me. When my wife arrived at about 11am on day two, I felt rejuvenated and energetic again.”
When he felt his spirits flagging, he would meditate by slowing down his breathing and counting to 100. “It helped me to stay calm and focused,” said Mr Chan, who works in the ultrasonic product industry.
His efforts eventually paid off, and he took home a Nissan Kicks e-Power Premium Adventure Series car worth $105,300 without the certificate of entitlement. His wife was so happy that she cried, said Mr Chan, who has a 27-year-old son and a 24-year-old daughter.
He is the second-oldest person to win in the challenge since it started in 2002, when it was called the Subaru Car Challenge. The oldest winner was 58 years old.
The annual challenge – which was last held in 2019 – kicked off at 1pm on Saturday at Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza.
