The Lleida driver and his co-driver Txema Villalobos complete their first trouble-free stage of the rally and finish 20th in Ultimate and 21st overall.
The overnight work carried out by the team’s mechanics and the entire Overdrive staff allows the Toyota DKR GR Hilux to perform perfectly and deliver its full power throughout the special.
The Repsol Toyota Rally Team climbs to 21st position in its category and 25th overall in the provisional standings.
“I’m very happy. The car worked really well, we had a good pace and, above all, I want to thank our mechanics and the entire Overdrive team for the extraordinary work they did overnight.”
The Repsol Toyota Rally Team delivered its best stage so far at the 2026 Rallye du Maroc today. Isidre Esteve and Txema Villalobos produced an impressive comeback on the third day of competition, finishing 20th in Ultimate and 21st overall to climb to 21st and 25th positions respectively in the provisional general classification. The Catalan pairing completed the 589-kilometre route, including 360 kilometres against the clock, and now sit just outside the top 20.
For the first time in this rally, Esteve and Villalobos were able to complete a special without any setbacks, with the Toyota DKR GR Hilux performing at its full potential. Overnight work by the team’s mechanics and the entire Overdrive staff, who spent several hours working on the twin-turbo V6 engine to solve the temperature problems that had affected them since the start of the event, meant the driver from Oliana, Lleida, had all the power he needed today.
“I’m very happy. The car worked really well, we had a good pace and, above all, I want to thank our mechanics and the entire Overdrive team for the extraordinary work they did overnight. They spent many hours solving the problems we had been carrying and today the car responded perfectly,” Esteve said.
The Lleida driver also benefited from a much more favourable starting position than the previous day thanks to the ‘joker’, which allowed him to rejoin the leading group. In addition, the FIA’s decision to extend the margin used to establish the starting order from 110% to 117% prevented the team from once again having to start much further back, avoiding the resulting disadvantages of dust, traffic and an increased risk of punctures.
Source: Repsol Toyota Rally Team
