Race Report | Enduro Pilipinas Series II Finale



This is very true of the successful conclusion of Enduro Pilipinas Series II. The strong leadership of race director Patrick ParreÒo in tandem with Dr. Milton Macanas stirred the Finale boat to success. We had a great vision that Team FACE translated into a reality.

The Finale started with a festive ambiance on December 13. After the bike inspection , release of race codes, and race briefing, the government officials formally welcomed the 120 riders to the gorgeous city of Tacurong , a bird sanctuary, in southern Philippines.

Race Day

You can feel the excitement all over the starting area before we begin. The moment has come! The weather forecast said it will be a cloudy day but the sky is all blue. It is going be a sunny and hot racing day. The race director releases the riders for the first liaison. All riders must have enough hydration and food to keep them moving all day. It was also made clear to the 21 first-timers that it is not a race to the summit.

Stages 1 & 2 are a maze-like trail in the cornfield. The long steep section was the talk of the day but it was the rock garden that will remain in the finalists’ memory.

12 ladies rolled down the Feminino track. Joyce Del Socorro led the girls followed by Josela Defensor and Maryan Talip – 2nd and 3rd respectively. More and more are getting curious about Enduro in the Philippines. In this race the Fast & Curious award belonged to Dahn Emmanuel Acain.

Life begins at 40 but the riders in the IDOLS category are definitely no newbies in trail biking. The Idol of the day was Mario Magdato. Chasing him closely were Renax Lim and Oscar Laguna.

What is the Aficionado? This category is for those who truly love Enduro but do not have enough saddle time to prepare for competitive racing. The Aficionado, though, is most definitely not an inferior breed – some of them just choose to stay in that league. The race course of the Elite is the same as theirs. The fastest Aficionado is Jonathan Jacinto, followed by Michael Osmena and Denis Pande.

December 14th was a battle of the best. No matter how discretely the Finale community tried, you can hear the silent bets-based on logic, records, and biases. The results though, can be surprising – looking at the bigger picture. The number one seed bagged the gold with only 21 seconds ahead of local favorite Mitchell Beatriz. Ronnie Urdaneta, a newcomer was only 14 seconds behind Mitchell. Going down further to the top 10 list ,it is interesting to note that it could have been anybody’s game. Indeed, the Finale is the battle of best Philippine Enduro riders but some guy has to be the winner and that’s Nilo Estayo.

Team ZERO’s Michael Cierro finished fifth in the finals and his excellent performance in the series placed this trail ripper from Zamboanga to 3rd Place in the 2014 overall ranking.

Whats Next

We see the next season with many more riders rising to the top. To the Seasons 1 and 2 Champion, it is not a threat but, it is good news. Estayoís objective is two-fold : to win and to inspire. True champions mentor new champions. We are promoting enduro in the Philippines and our best riders Nilo and Mitchell are silent yet credible ambassadors of this viral gentleman’s game.

The Estayo Epic Enduro is Nilo’s tournament on December 21, 2014. It is another effort to promote Enduro in Pangasinan, his hometown in Northern Luzon.

Come 2015. As forecasted, the exponential growth of Enduro is fast across the archipelago. We have at least 21 races around the Philippines with 5 majors legs. The new points system and ranking will be applied at Isarog Enduro on January 25, 2104 and Zamboanga Enduro on February 22.

The most awaited Palawan Enduro will take place on the first of March.

Long live Enduro . Mabuhay Enduro Pilipinas!

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