BARCELONA, 4 Ene. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Rally driver Isidre Esteve (Repsol Toyota Rally Team) assures that in this 2024 Dakar Rally that begins this Friday in Saudi Arabia he has “everything he wanted” in terms of car, material and experience and that, with the enthusiasm he still has despite In his 18th Dakar, he faces the event with the intention of “enjoying” and “being competitive”, with the aim of being in the Top 20 at the finish line in Yanbu.
“I don't know how far we can go. What I do know is that there has come a time in the Dakar that we have top-of-the-line material, that we have a wonderful team, that we have support and that we have everything necessary to be able to give our best. No “It's that we are in a moment where we are still trying to have what we long for. No, we have everything we longed for. We are going to enjoy this race and be competitive,” he said in an interview with Europa Press before leaving for Saudi Arabia.
Isidre Esteve, who last year was 34th overall (24th in the T1 category) but almost had a better result – he paid dearly for a mechanical failure in stage 11 -, said he was “very happy” with his day-to-day life and with the work environment at Toyota. “I have the opportunity to continue in this wonderful world that is the world of competition, surrounded by people who feel that they love us, you know? This is wonderful,” he acknowledged.
Always positive, he assures that he does not plan to experience any hell in the future, and focuses on a present that gives him everything he needs to enjoy. “I don't think about what my worst nightmare is for a moment, right? Let's see, in this life there is nothing or no one that is essential. We are in a life in which everything is in continuous movement, therefore any news that has to come in the future, if it has to come, let it come and we will face it,” he noted.
“But currently we have the best project, with the best people, with the best brands, which gives us the opportunities we have. We have more experience than last year, the car is more tuned for me and my conditions and it is more worked with my people,” he celebrated, about the Toyota Hilux T1+.
“We are more capable of getting more out of the car. This is important because in the end we are talking about small details, small details that give us more confidence and being able to solve those small details and have a car that we are capable of getting more performance out of,” he said. .
Furthermore, Isidre Esteve assured that with Txema Villalobos (“the best co-driver”) they are still “faster” than last year. “We are aware that everyone improves and we are one of those who improve. This has to allow us to be more competitive. We are going to see how competitive the rest are. We know perfectly well who our rivals are and what level there is in the competition. category,” he said.
“There are 20 very fast drivers, faster than us, but this is an endurance race, we are going to see who reaches the end and in what conditions we reach the end. We are aware of our pace and we are happy with our pace. We were in the rally from Morocco and almost all the good ones were there, the South African pilots and some American pilots were missing, but almost all of them were there. We know perfectly well what pace there is in the race,” he argued.
With all this, a realistic goal of making the Top 20 and, being more ambitious, being close to the final Top 10 is once again set. “I think we have the level and the car to be in the top 20 and at the end of the race closer to 10th than 20th. Because I think it's going to be a Dakar where everyone is going to race a lot, we saw it in Morocco, it's going to be everyone runs a lot,” he warned.
“But we have to find the balance, because this is a 15-day race, which is an endurance race and we know that now there are options to achieve very good partial results, but we have to find the balance because we have to achieve a good result. every day,” he added.
For the Catalan driver, the strategy will be to be consistent and go from less to more, without seeking a great partial result leaving aside the general. “It is no use for us to abandon one day and be stopped for two days and return to the room. Even if this allows you nice partial results. We know that what is important is the accumulation of results of those 15 days. So we are convinced that we know what pace we should to be able to be there at the end,” he noted.
“We put the pressure on ourselves. We know perfectly well what equipment we have, who our traveling companions are, what is expected. We are expected to be competitive, we are expected to give our best, we are expected to be ambitious and we are, we are all of this “, he said about what Toyota expects from him, which offers him a 'top' category car.
Furthermore, he believes that the Dakar Rally “is different every time” and that it is constantly evolving. “There is a new generation of young drivers arriving. The pace is going to be very fast from the beginning. A lot of things are going to happen, because when the pace at the front increases even more things happen, so let's see,” he asked.
“Experience helps you to make a good career plan, that is, where I want to be at all times and be aware that this is long and difficult. Step by step,” said the 51-year-old from Oliana (Lleida). years and with the illusion of being a 'rookie' despite having competed, between motorcycles and cars, in a total of 18 Dakar Rallyes.