Stage two of the 2026 Dakar was a true ordeal for Isidre Esteve and his co-driver Txema Villalobos. After a strong performance the previous day, the Repsol Toyota Rally Team had to tackle a special stage overshadowed by the burden of their delayed starting position.
Under this year’s rules, Ultimate crews who are not within 110% of the winner’s time are pushed back in the following day’s running order, starting behind the leading vehicles from the Challenger, SSV and Stock categories. That explains why, despite placing 29th the day before, the Catalan duo was forced to start their Toyota DKR GR Hilux from 66th position.
As a result, the Oliana driver found himself with virtually zero visibility throughout the 400-kilometre special. The thick dust kicked up by rivals, combined with narrow tracks and rocky sections, made it impossible to overtake safely and completely blocked the pace of an Esteve who has already shown he has the speed to be much higher up the order.
In the end, the driver from Lleida finished the day in 39th place in the Ultimate category and now sits 37th overall in his class standings. Although this situation cost him valuable time, the Dakar is a long rally and the feeling with the car—running on renewable fuel and Repsol lubricants—remains positive, as he waits for the chance to run on cleaner tracks and unleash the full potential.
True to his fighting spirit, Isidre Esteve refuses to give up, though he did not hide his frustration with what happened: “It was a very difficult day because of the starting order. We don’t understand how, after finishing ahead yesterday, we had to start 66th today, behind drivers who finished worse. We did 400 km without seeing the track, always in a cloud of dust and constantly stopping. It’s a shame because we have the pace and the car is working really well, but starting like that there’s nothing you can do. We know we have the vehicle and the skills to be higher up, so tomorrow we’ll try to recover as much ground as possible.”
Source: Repsol Toyota Rally Team
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