Dakar 2021: Isidre Esteve starts Dakar 2021 Rally happy and with a very good feeling

This Saturday the Dakar 2021 has begun, which Isidre Esteve faces with his most ambitious project. The Repsol Rally Team's driver has the best car he has ever driven, a Toyota Hilux Overdrive, and has set himself the challenge of fighting for the top 10. Aware that in the prologue stage he had a lot to lose and little to gain, he decided on a conservative strategy that has led him to finish in 41st place 56 seconds behind the winner of the day, Nasser Al-Attiyah.

“These types of stages must be taken with great caution because they only serve to enter the race, the differences are minimal and the times are anecdotal. That is why we have ridden cautiously, without taking any risk on the rocks and already thinking about tomorrow, when the Dakar will really start ”, 

assessed Isidre Esteve at the end of the 11-kilometer prologue.

His time was 6 minutes and 44 seconds, which has placed him in the provisional 41st place and third among the Spanish, after Nani Roma and Carlos Sainz. 

“Qualifying now is the least of it and the most important thing is that we felt very good and we had fun. What really counts is that the feelings on this first day have been very positive, ”acknowledged the Oliana driver.

Tomorrow the first stage will be held between Jeddah and Bisha, with a special of 277 kilometers and a 345 km connection. 

“We really want the race to start, although our strategy will be not to make mistakes, especially the first days, in which our objective must be to pick up the pace and improve little by little, aware that the Dakar is very long and many things will happen ”

, warns Isidre Esteve who has the support of Repsol, MGS Seguros, KH-7 and Toyota Spain.

To try to make history, he will drive a Toyota Hilux prepared by Overdrive and with the controls adapted to the wheel by Guidosimplex, due to his spinal cord injury. 

“Both in the shakedown and in the prologue, the car was perfect and it is ready to show its potential. I have a great team, a great co-driver like Txema Villalobos, and the car I've always dreamed of driving in the Dakar. I'm very optimistic, ”Esteve says.

Source Repsol Rally Team official press release