The Repsol Toyota Rally Team landed tonight at Barcelona Airport from Yanbu, Saudi Arabia.
Driver and co-driver have been cleared by doctors to travel back after the accident suffered in the sixth stage of the toughest race in the world.
“The most important thing now is to turn the page quickly, recover physically and get to work on what comes next.”
Isidre Esteve and Txema Villalobos are back home after their Rally Dakar 2026 campaign came to an early end. The Repsol Toyota Rally Team crew withdrew from the event following an accident in Stage 6 in which, in addition to damage to the car, Esteve sustained a fissure in the sternum and Villalobos suffered whiplash.
On medical advice, the crew were unable to fly back immediately. After several days in Saudi Arabia, and once they received the medical clearance, both were able to begin their journey back to Spain together with the rest of the team. They finally landed tonight at Josep Tarradellas Barcelona–El Prat Airport, arriving from Yanbu.
Upon arrival, the Repsol-supported driver—backed by Repsol, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing España, MGS Seguros and KH-7—took stock of the past few days: “We’re tired, but we’re doing well. We had to wait a few days to fly as a medical precaution after the heavy impact to the chest and the deceleration we experienced, but it’s always better to be at home. Now it’s time to rest.”
The 48th Dakar Rally marked the 21st appearance for the driver from Lleida in the world’s most demanding event, and his 11th at the wheel of a car. It was an edition in which, despite early difficulties, he had begun to show clear progress and performance in line with his true level before the accident brought his Saudi adventure to an end.
The retirement came just as the team was starting to find a good rhythm. In Stage 5, Esteve and Villalobos achieved an encouraging 21st place. This result also reflected the excellent performance of the Toyota DKR GR Hilux powered by the renewable fuel developed by the Repsol Technology Lab.
“When you retire, it’s difficult to take away positives, because what you want is to stay in the race, but that’s competition. The most important thing now is to turn the page, recover physically and get to work on what comes next,” he reflects.
From today, the Catalan duo will focus on their recovery and on analysing everything learned during Dakar 2026, with the aim of continuing to build the sporting project and prepare for the next challenges.
“It’s still far too early to define what we’ll do in the future. As every year after the Dakar, over the next few weeks we’ll meet with the team to plan the sporting project, see what’s possible and what motivates us most. Now it’s time to reset and assess everything we’ve learned,” Esteve concludes.
Press: Repsol Toyota Rally Team
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