Joel Esteban, who rode motorcycles from his father’s bar to the World Cup

Joel Esteban (18 years old, El Prat del Llobregat) He has the challenge of his life ahead of him. After years of training in the lower category, the Catalan will debut in the World Cup with Aspar Team in Moto3. Perhaps many have not noticed him but in the eyes of Nico Terol he has something that proves him to accompany David Alonso. The challenge is enormous, but as Joel himself commented to MD, this opportunity comes after years and years of work and similar sacrifice.

“In the end the Aspar team is the team that welcomed me to the FIM, to the JuniorGP, where in Moto3 we did very well and to ride with them is a pride. They are one of the teams leading both Moto3 and Moto2 and it’s a great project to grow,” he explained about the hope of reaching the World Cup with the Spanish team.

But where does Joel’s passion for motorcycles come from? There is no family tradition but there is an important connection. And he was born in his father’s bar. “Many motorcycles came. I have some friends who have motorcycles and I ride, give fuel, I like it. When I was young, I also went to Montmeló to watch the races and they bought me an electric motorcycle when I was two and a half years old.”

The money problem was solved by Terol

Joel does not come from a family with great purchasing power and we all know that joining a championship implies an investment that in many cases cannot be repaid. As Joel explained, his father gave it his all in 2021 and he’s not having a good year. The dream was about to end when Nico Terol called.

“In 2021 I didn’t have a good year at Igax but Nico Terol noticed me. He was talking to my father during the season but he didn’t want to tell me. Nor will I have any illusions if it doesn’t happen later. When it was confirmed, I was very happy and eager to work. It was already in the tests and in the first races that we started very strongly. Nico helped me a lot in the track part. We finished runners-up in the European Talent Cup in 2022. That was a great year. Then we made the leap into the Moto3 of the JuniorGP and the truth is that I also adapted very quickly and in the second race, in Cheste, I was on the podium. They already told me in August that if everything goes well I will go up to the World Cup as a teammate of David Alonso.

In this growth, Joel does not listen to anyone like Terol, 125cc champion in 2011. “With his experience he can help me in everything and inspires me with supreme confidence“Of course, he continues to refer to his father as the most important person to achieve his great goal.

Best rookie partner

Joel Esteban has a hard bone on the other side of the box. It is always said that the first rival you have to defeat is your partner. But it’s about David Alonso, who at just 17 years old achieved four victories in 2023 and finished third in his rookie year. So, Joel doesn’t want comparisons, instead focusing on David’s method to learn as much as possible from the Colombian.

“Right now, I don’t have any pressure because it’s the first year and the pressure is not good. We have a lot to learn from David because in 2023 he made a huge step forward, right from the beginning. And in the middle -end of the year he put on a brutal show.Authentic races. The way he works is very good and maybe that’s what I’m missing.”

Idol and roots

Joel defines himself as an aggressive driver when necessary and especially when braking. A bit like his idol: Marc Márquez. “I’ve noticed him since I was little. His character, his aggressiveness, his drive… I love everything about him.”

Now Joel is focused on continuing to evolve to have the best debut and is training in Valencia. But for him, returning to El Prat on the weekends he can is key. His family and friends are still there in life. The World Cup changes your life but the commoners there are not disappointed. “I’m always there for them and they’re there for me“, he concluded.