Isidre Esteve (May 15, 1972 at Oliana, Lleida) will face from next December 31, 2022 its 8th edition of Dakar by car, which joins the 10 he has accumulated on motorcycles.
The Catalan driver this year achieved his dream of driving a top car, the car he always wanted, the Toyota Hilux T1+with bigger wheels and more suspension travel than this Q1 from the previous course.
All this, after many years of struggle and constant development, after his life completely changed after a serious accident while racing a motorcycle in 2007, which caused him a spinal cord injury that left him he in a wheelchair.
so, isidre he has to pilot his powerful vehicle with only his hands, with the same system he built Albert Llovera next to the company guidodiplex.
isidreWithout the use of his legs as other pilots do, he must compete in the most difficult races in the world, at high speeds and in many difficulties, having to do all his movements with two hands. Unbelievable but true. In just a few seconds, you have to accelerate, brake, change gears and keep pushing to the max, using only your hands.
“Like it does?”, is often asked by fans. Thanks to a tremendous ability that develops as he has accumulated experience behind the wheel.
Isidre Esteve It has two rings on the steering wheel. One, inside the front of the steering wheel. By squeezing that inner ring, it speeds up. The other is located behind the wheel. By squeezing it with your fingers towards him, he brakes. Those two rings move in tandem with the steering wheel, which it uses like any other to turn. So, while turning, you can also press the accelerator (front) and brake rings (behind the wheel) to drive. But this is not all. You also need to change gears. He does it like other pilots, so the synchronization and gestural speed he shows every kilometer is incredible, because he has to let go of one of the hands to press the gear (backwards he climbs and forwards, he descends gears). .
Worse, the biggest complications come in the early stages. The pilot has to squeeze the clutch. The solution is found in a system that allows you to operate the clutch with the fingers of your right hand. You can because this clutch is placed in the form of a button just behind the gear shift.
So, he can put his right hand on the gearbox and squeeze the clutch to release it by opening his fingers when accelerating in the first meters of the stage. And then, without letting go of the gearbox with his right hand, he can upshift at full throttle, which he achieves by squeezing the inside edge of the steering wheel with his left hand.
A madness that he completely dominates.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
