Mi experiencia corriendo las 12 horas Ecuador

Overview

The speaker reflects on their experience at the 12 Hours of Ecuador, describing it as one of the toughest and most spectacular endurance races in Latin America.

Event and Setting

• The race is held on a beautiful circuit surrounded by a lagoon and mountains.
• The event is described as brutal and extremely tiring, featuring around 60 cars.

Racing Categories and Standout Competitors

• The most competitive category is TC2000, with 12 very strong single-make cars and drivers, including foreigners (notably from Colombia).
• Notable cars/drivers mentioned:
  • Diego Morán: said to have dominated much of the race until an unspecified issue changed the outcome.
  • Monroy and Féx Guarderas: present in the Opel Corsa one-make group.
  • Mati Salvador: built an especially impressive Corsa, reportedly achieving lap times in the 150–152 seconds range.
  • MP3 (Abro team) and PR6: praised for both livery and performance.
    • The PR6 suffered damage after the pump overheated, and later the chain was also damaged (described as the “Achilles’ heel”).
  • Teo Gómez and Juan Manuel Correa: described as dominant.
    • Juan Manuel Correa is noted as being among Ecuador’s most important drivers.

Memorable Performances and Other Achievements

• Porsche driven by Patricia Bellán (with Álvaro driving) finished third overall.
• An open-category Audi TT reached the podium:
  • Carlos Salazar Junior, with support from Álvaro Espinoza and Juan Diego Espinoza.
• Juan Carlos Navas:
  • Drove a Kia Rio, described as exceptionally fast.
  • Reportedly ran laps in the ~151 range in the 1600cc category, outperforming the speaker’s turbo on straight sections.
  • The speaker highlights how rare it is for a rally driver to succeed on circuit, noting Navas also won major events in the category.
• Fernando Isa:
  • Drove a Honda Civic, described as extremely fast, but eventually retired due to a brake problem.
• The speaker emphasizes the variety: performance across many car types and categories made the race engaging (“for all tastes”), including classes featuring Renault Logan, Volkswagen Polo, and multiple prototype/GT-style entries.

Race Conditions and Incidents

Weather

• The race began at 6:00 AM.
• There was light drizzle in the morning, and later again in the afternoon, though the day included stretches of favorable weather.

Track and Demands

• The track is described as slow, which made the endurance challenge even more demanding—especially with midday heat.

Major Accident / Tragedy Mention

• The speaker recalls that Tomister—an Ecuadorian prototype by Thomas Videla—caught fire last year.
• This year, after roughly 10 minutes, another driver’s mistake/lapse contributed to a serious crash.
• The speaker notes that everyone was lucky to be okay, but the car could not continue.

Female Standout

• The speaker highlights Avirrón, described as winning the overall 12 Hours of Ecuador.
• Also mentioned:
  • Marcelo (her father)
  • Pipe Ceballos

The Speaker’s Result and Takeaways

Their Opel Corsa

• Finished 7th overall.
• They were 5th for much of the race and maintaining a strong pace, but mechanical/planning issues (“life’s circumstances”) affected the outcome.
• The speaker concludes that the car held up well and they plan to continue refining it for future races.

Conclusion (Race-Level Lesson)

Endurance races reward consistency and avoiding mistakes—implying the most consistent competitor ultimately won the 12-hour challenge.

Presenters / Sources (Mentioned)

• Quintilian (used as a writing/description reference)
• Diego Morán
• Juan Manuel Correa
• Teo Gómez
• Chalo Villagómez
• Mati Salvador
• Sebas Merchan
• Carlos Salazar Junior
• Álvaro Espinoza
• Juan Diego Espinoza
• Juan Carlos Navas
• Fernando Isa
• Patricia Bellán
• Álvaro (pilot mentioned with Patricia Bellán’s Porsche)
• Thomas Videla (Tomister)
• Avirrón
• Marcelo (Avirrón’s father)
• Pipe Ceballos
• Teo (referenced in multiple places)
• Davidanti team (mentioned as “Davanti”)
• General references: “12 Hours of Ecuador”