TopGear.com.ph launches 2012 AutOlympics online voting game

It's a great time to be a sports fan. In the next couple of weeks or so, we are going to witness the best athletes in the world giving their all to beat each other for that coveted gold, silver and bronze. But just as sports freaks are glued to the TV watching the 2012 London Olympics, we here at TopGear.com.ph want to provide the same kind of excitement to car enthusiasts.

Hence, we are launching the 2012 AutOlympics, an online polling exercise in which we seek to answer the following question:

"What is the best car-making nation in the world?"

This polling activity will run from July 30 to August 20, 2012.

Is it China? Is it France? Is it Germany? Or Italy, perhaps? What about Japan? Or South Korea? Care to vote for the United Kingdom? Or the United States of America?

The polling activity will follow a knockout format (think NBA playoffs). The eight countries are divided into two groups: Group A (China, France, Italy and USA) and Group B (Germany, Japan, South Korea and United Kingdom).

In the first round, TopGear.com.ph readers have one week--starting today, July 30, to August 6--to cast their votes. The matchups are as follows:

* Group A: China vs. USA

* Group A: France vs. Italy

* Group B: Japan vs. South Korea

* Group B: Germany vs. UK

The winning nation from each matchup will advance to the second round.

In the second round, TopGear.com.ph readers have one week--from August 6 to August 13--to cast their votes. The matchups are as follows:

* Group A: Winner #1 vs. Winner #2

* Group B: Winner #1 vs. Winner #2

The winning nation from each group will advance to the third and final round.

In the third and final round, TopGear.com.ph readers have one week--from August 13 to August 20--to cast their votes. The matchup, of course, is as follows:

* Final - Group A Winner vs. Group B Winner

Needless to say, the winner in the final round will be declared the 2012 AutOlympics Champion--or, in other words, the best car-making nation in the world.

Now, what's in it for you, dear TopGear.com.ph reader? Why should you bother voting for the next three weeks? Well, aside from the fact that you want to support the nation of your favorite car brand, you might also want to bring home a brand-new Mitsubishi Ralliart Dahon foldable bicycle (actual photo below). That's right: At the end of the three-week poll, we will be raffling off this gorgeous bike among the participants of the 2012 AutOlympics.

For every round that you vote, you get one (1) electronic raffle entry. If you vote in all three rounds, you automatically get three (3) raffle entries. (Each participant may only vote once per round.) Draw date is on August 21, 2012, 5pm, at the Summit Media office and in the presence of a Department of Trade and Industry representative.

To vote, just go to the 2012 AutOlympics page. Before you do, we encourage you to read first the "Mechanics" section and also to review the "Countries" section to know more about the eight car-making nations. As the days progress, you may check the "Status" section to see the running scores for every matchup.

Have fun playing. And don't forget to tell your family and friends to join, too. Let the games begin!

Per DTI NCR Permit No. 6516, Series of 2012