Isidre Esteve started a new season, his 14th in a car and his third at the wheel of the Repsol Toyota Rally Team’s Toyota Hilux T1+. The driver from Ilerda faced his return to action with enthusiasm and optimism in the Rally Raid of Portugal (April 3-7), the only event in the World Championship of the specialty (W2RC) to set foot on Spanish territory.
His goals, with the support of Repsol, MGS Seguros and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Spain, are to try to compete with the best, something he has already shown in the past (he was seventh in the 2022 Morocco Rally). In addition, you will be able to work with Repsol Technology Lab engineers on the evolution of renewable fuel that they have tested in the last two Dakars.
In the last edition of the most difficult race in the world – the ninth for him on four wheels – the driver from Ilerda and his co-driver, Txema Villalobos, experienced a real odyssey when everything seemed indicating that they could reach their first top 20 in the Dakar. But in the dreaded 48-hour Crono, they were forced to cross a sea of sand with only rear-wheel drive. During their journey, they had to improvise an extra night in the desert to bravely complete a stage that took them three days. In the end, they managed to cover all the test kilometers and reach the finish line in Yanbu (Saudi Arabia), showing once again that, despite Esteve’s paraplegia, there are no limits for the Repsol Toyota Rally Team duo.
The Catalan pilot, who showed a noticeable step forward in his performance, wants to fight again and measure himself against the best in the discipline. For this reason, almost three months after the end of the Dakar, he is ready to recover the sensations and rhythm of the competition. This will be done in the Rally Raid of Portugal, the third round of the specialty world championship, which will be held in the south-central part of the country from April 3 to 7 and will have a stage that will pass through Extremadura.
“It is true that the last Dakar was quite complicated, but we really want to start preparing for 2025. For us the Rally Raid of Portugal is the beginning of this preparation path and we are especially excited for different reasons . One, because we have the stage in Badajoz, at home, which will allow us to be very close to our fans and this is important. Then, because it is a different race, which has nothing to do with what we saw in Dakar. There will be many levels because the Portuguese are very fast in this type of terrain and there are big names on the registration list,” pointed out the man from Oliana.
“It’s great for us to pick up the pace, to get back into a racing situation and it’s always nice to start again. We want to test the car in different conditions, on faster tracks, more technical areas, if where we need to be more aggressive, and against a good team of rivals. “We want to get the most out of the Toyota Hilux T1+, keep learning and add more experience.”
Esteve always sets the goal of improving himself, but he also emphasizes another important detail for this week: he will be able to work with the engineers at the Repsol Technology Lab on renewable fuel, made 70% from organic waste, used in his Toyota Hilux T1+ and which he has contributed to the development of in recent years.
“The goal is always to be as competitive as possible, but, in addition, we will take advantage of this event to continue working on renewable fuel, which is very important for us and for Repsol. Tech Lab engineers will go to the race and we will have the possibility to share data with them every day on the ground, compare ourselves with other Toyota Gazoo Racing drivers who will also use it and see how we can improve it. These will be important days to see how we can develop this renewable fuel and get more performance from it in the upcoming events,” added Esteve.
The Rally Raid of Portugal will have 1,827 kilometers – more than 1,000 will be timed – divided into a prologue and five stages (one of which will pass through Badajoz, Extremadura). The Repsol Toyota Rally Team driver will face 86 other participants in the car section, of which 24 will have the most advanced prototypes, the T1+.
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.
