MADRID, 14 One. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Spanish driver Isidre Esteve (Repsol Rally Team) acknowledged his excitement at crossing a new Dakar Rally finish line, and “it’s already 17”, after a demanding edition in 2022, on the verge of the Top 25 overall, 16th among the T1.1 and fifth of the vehicles prior to the 2022 regulation.
“Reaching the finish line of each Dakar excites me a lot. Although we suffered in the first week with the starting orders, in the second we have enjoyed ourselves and we have extracted the maximum potential that we had. Thanks to the sponsors, the team and everyone who helped us have supported from home,” he said in statements provided by his team, after two intense weeks.
Esteve reacted to that difficult start and saved two tough weeks for Saudi Arabia without serious mishaps and competing until the end together with Txema Villalobos. “It’s already been 17 Dakars and this is something that I continue to get excited about every time I reach the end of the rally. Now I remember all the people who help us to be here and all the team that has been with me these days”, He said.
“Txema has done an extraordinary job. Lidia and the mechanics, David, Carles and Albert, every day we have been asking for better things for the car so that it adapts better to me and they have given everything they had; this is extraordinary”, he added gratefully.
The Catalan did not want to be critical of the problems with the starts of the first days and highlighted his second great week. “I think it’s been a Dakar in which we’re in the position we deserve. Unlike last year, I think there’s been a lot of running and it’s been a sprint Dakar every day and it hasn’t allowed any mistakes at any time. It is true that the first week we would have liked to go out later, I think that penalized us”, he said.
“But we have to look forward and I am grateful that ASO and the FIA rectified. This second week we have been able to start in the positions that we had to start, we have made good stages and now it is time to analyze everything that happened calmly to improve and come back here better next year. We continue to want to be more competitive every day”, he concluded.