Dakar 2023: Stage 13 - Isidre Esteve overcomes the last sandy difficulties of the Dakar 2023

Dakar 2023: Stage 13 - Isidre Esteve overcomes the last sandy difficulties of the Dakar 2023

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  • The Spanish team decided to slow down and not take any risks in view of the difficult terrain of the 13th stage, full of very soft sand dunes and with a relief that was very difficult to interpret.
  • On a day more suited to light buggies than cars, the Repsol Toyota Rally Team finished in 20th place in T1 and 40th scratch, a result that allows them to regain another position in the general standings.
  • "It was hard to distinguish the terrain just ahead of you, which made me a bit dizzy, so we opted for caution. The best thing is that we are now at the last bivouac and ready to face the last stage of the rally".

Isidre Esteve and Txema Villalobos have completed the last 153 timed kilometers on sand and dunes of the Dakar 2023 in a strategic way and with the real goal of completing the event in mind. On a terrain more suitable for light buggies than for cars, the Repsol Toyota Rally Team crew found a safe pace to finish the day without any incidents or surprises in 20th position in T1 and 40th scratch. In the overall standings they gain one more place and now occupy 34th overall and 24th in the T1 car section.

The road map of the day announced a reduced mileage, but Isidre Esteve and Txema Villalobos did not take long to discover the difficulties: "The hard track was almost nonexistent throughout the special, it was only reduced to the last 4 kilometers. The remaining 149 were marked on sand and dunes, and although the route was not as complicated as yesterday, the surface was very soft", said the driver from Lleida.

In a terrain so suitable for buggies and side-by-sides, as demonstrated in the final classification, there was a second trap that Esteve reveals: "We went as fast as we could, but the biggest complication was that the relief was not well distinguishable. The sand was a pinkish color and you couldn't make out what was right in front of the car. This feeling was a bit complicated for me, because it made me a bit dizzy, so in agreement with Txema we opted for caution and slowed down a bit. The best news is that we are on our way to the last bivouac and we are ready to face the last special stage to finish the Dakar".

Stage 14 will link Al-Hofuf and Dammam with a 136-kilometer special stage along the coast of the Arabian Gulf. A fast and spectacular route to say goodbye to one of the most difficult editions of the Dakar Rally in recent years.

 

Automatic translation from the original Spanish version available on www.todoterreno.pt
Source Repsol Rally Team

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