11 drivers from 8 countries had been invited by Volvo Trucks to Geelong in Australia for the annual Fuelwatch championship, after winning their national Fuelwatch competitions prior this year. The final challenge was to find the most fuel efficient Volvo Trucks driver in Asia Pacific. In the end it was Chris Sanders from Australia who got awarded as Volvo Trucks Asia Pacific Fuelwatch Champion 2012 at a gala dinner that marked the closing of a memorable competition event.
With China, Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and Australia sending their best drivers, it was a challenge on a very high level. After all, the contestants had qualified against more than 2,500 drivers in the prior national competitions held all over the Asian Pacific region. In the final competition Chris Sanders met Liu Jinqiang, who had earlier that day won the Asian on road drive championship. The Asian off road drive championship again saw its winner is Sangki Kim from Korea.
Both on road as well as off road finals took place on the grounds of the Australian Automotive Research Centre, located 50 kilometers outside of Geelong near Melbourne. Whereas for the on road final a Volvo FH540 had to be driven over a course of 19 km, a Volvo FMX 6×4 was the model of choice for the 6 km circuit for the off road final.
APAC champion Chris Sanders mastered the course with the least amount of fuel, accounting for a consumption of up to 20 percent less than his defeated colleagues. This gap – please note: among the very best drivers – illustrates the profound impact that a driver has on the fuel consumption of their truck. So far, the Fuelwatch final in Geelong marked the third anniversary of Volvo Trucks’ fuel efficient driving contest. Both Chris Sanders and Asia on road champion Liu Jinqiang will be invited to the headquarters of Volvo Trucks in Gothenburg.
