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Rally-Raid Portugal: Isidre Esteve shines once again on the penultimate stage and continues his ascent
- The Repsol Toyota Rally Team takes another step forward in the overall standings of the premier class and climbs to ninth place in the premier class.
- The Lleida-born driver enjoyed himself from start to finish in a special stage held entirely on Spanish soil in which he finished 13th in Ultimate.
- "I had a lot of fun today. The special stage was fantastic and the crowd was really enthusiastic. I love the fact that the Spanish fans have the chance to see a World Championship event up close.
- "This rally is allowing me to work with the Repsol engineers to develop the renewable fuel. All the lessons we are learning are aimed at improving our performance in the future".
It's been a long day for Isidre Esteve and the Repsol Toyota Rally Team on the penultimate stage of the Rally Raid de Portugal. The driver from Lleida enjoyed the warmth of the Extremadura crowd and driving on fast and technical tracks in Spanish territory to finish 13th in the premier category (Ultimate) and take another important step forward in the overall ranking of the latest generation prototypes with the last day of competition still to go.
Saturday's menu consisted of 253 km against the clock south of Badajoz, around Villafranca de los Barros, Jerez de los Caballeros and Fregenal de la Sierra, the finish of the fourth stage of the rally. The narrow and muddy Portuguese tracks - which have been so much of a headache these days for the drivers of the heaviest cars, such as Esteve - gave way to faster and more technical sections during the first 100 kilometres of the day. However, the water pools made their presence felt again in the second part of the day, which was slower and on a more broken terrain, with stones and forest areas.
But none of this prevented the driver from Oliana and his co-driver, Txema Villalobos, from putting in an outstanding performance, not only to enjoy the day in front of a devoted crowd that packed the ditches, but also to take another step forward among the best international rally-raid drivers. Their great performance on the penultimate day of the third round of the FIA World Rally Raid Championship saw them finish 13th in the Ultimate category and move up to ninth overall in the 4x4 Ultimate category (19th in the overall standings).
"I had a lot of fun today, to be honest. The special stage had nothing to do with the ones we did in Portugal a few days ago. It was very technical from start to finish, it demanded precise riding, it had dirt, fast tracks, some water crossings... fantastic. I really enjoyed it. We're very happy with the pace we're showing, with the times we've set and with our position before the last stage of the rally", said an enthusiastic Esteve at the finish.
The Spanish driver - who has the backing of Repsol, Toyota and MGS Seguros - wanted to highlight the possibility of taking part in a World Championship event at home. In addition, this is allowing him to exchange first-hand information about renewable fuels with the Repsol Tech Lab engineers.
"One of the things that made me most excited today was to see so many dedicated people following us on the stretch. I love the fact that the Spanish fans have the chance to see a World Rally Raid event up close and share with them moments like the ones we had last night in the Badajoz assistance. I have really enjoyed these two days; it has been a fantastic experience. As if that wasn't enough, this rally is allowing me to work with the Repsol engineers to develop the renewable fuel with which we competed in the last two Dakar Rallies. All the lessons we are learning are aimed at improving our performance in the future", he added.
The final day of competition in the Rally Raid de Portugal 2024 will see the riders and drivers battle the elements - in a loop around Grândola - for 102 kilometres of high voltage, before breathing easy at the finish. Esteve and Villalobos will be looking to round off a brilliant result for them.
"The level in this race is very high and we are very happy to be ninth in Ultimate. But there is one more day left and we have to keep doing well and working hard in a very, very demanding terrain for our car", concluded the Catalan.
Automatic translation of the Spanish version
Source: Repsol Toyota Rally Team official press release
Photo: ImagensDesportivas.pt
Helder