•  The Repsol Toyota Rally Team enters the absolute top 20 of the day for the first time in this edition of the last round of the World Rally-Raid, 17th in the T1 category.
• The driver from Oliana and his co-driver Txema Villalobos continue to gain positions in the overall and are satisfied with their performance and the behavior of the Toyota Hilux T1+.
• "We are very happy with the pace we have maintained throughout the special. The truth is that the car works very well, and each time we run a little more."

From less to more. Like any good rally-raid driver, Isidre Esteve is well aware that the important thing in off-road competitions is not how you start, but how you finish. After the halfway point of the Rally of Morocco, this Monday the Repsol Toyota Rally Team has signed its best performance in the last round of the World Rally-Raid 2023. Esteve and his co-driver Txema Villalobos have entered for the first time in the top 20 of the stage (17th in the T1 category). In the overall, they climb to 29th position overall and 19th in T1.

"We are very happy with the pace we maintained throughout the special stage. The truth is that the car works very well, and we are running a little more each time. It was noticeable that we were already starting in a position that is a little more in line with what we run on the track," said Esteve, who only had to overtake a side-by-side at the beginning of the special and a group of four others halfway through the stage, before refueling.

The third of the five stages of the event consisted of another loop around Zagora, with a 333-kilometer special stage, mainly on very stony tracks. "The special stage was very fast, but with many hazards that required us to be very attentive. Towards the middle, there were some small, very soft dunes, but without complications, and a very technical part of driving at the end", Esteve describes. The driver from Oliana (Lleida) recognizes that they have driven "very fast and without navigation losses"; the Repsol Toyota Rally Team has barely conceded 25 minutes and 20 seconds to the leader, after 3 hours and 22 minutes on track.

Among the factors that have influenced this good result of the Spanish team, the fact that the car and the team work wonderfully stands out. In addition to the competitiveness of the Toyota Hilux T1+, Esteve can drive at a much faster and safer pace thanks to a new configuration of the controls adapted to the steering wheel, which he tested in the last Baja Aragón, and which allows him to get more out of his driving.

This Tuesday, the penultimate stage of the Rally of Morocco heads towards the dunes of Merzouga, the scene of the longest special stage of this edition, 343 kilometers, where the Repsol Toyota Rally Team hopes to continue its comeback.

Source: Repsol Toyota Rally Team