At the controls of an adapted Toyota Hilux Overdrive, the Repsol Rally Team driver has gone from strength to strength to complete the second and last day of the rally with a very good feeling.
The Lleida-born driver scored his best result in the overall car category of the Aragonese event, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of his first participation on a motorcycle.
"It has been an incredible weekend. I'm happy with the pace and the sensations, which encourages us a lot for the future. For the first time, I felt very comfortable and competitive in every kilometer."
Isidre Esteve has once again made history by finishing 13th overall in the car category of the Baja España Aragón 2021, the best result in his four participations in the four-wheel category. The Repsol Rally Team driver thus prolongs his idyllic relationship with the Aragonese event, which he competed in for the first time just 30 years ago, and confirms the encouraging evolution of his Toyota Hilux Overdrive dakariano.
After the tenth place achieved in yesterday's stage, his best partial result in this event to date, Isidre Esteve and Txema Villalobos have faced this Saturday's two special stages in high spirits. The first one, of 113 timed kilometers, took its toll on the participants, as it was run on very stony tracks. In addition, it included two neutralized sectors, making it difficult to find the pace.
Aware of this, the Repsol Rally Team opted not to take any risks and to take care of the mechanics of their vehicle with the adapted controls on the steering wheel. Nevertheless, Isidre Esteve retained tenth place in the provisional general standings, with the third and last special stage remaining, with 208 kilometers on a terrain more favorable to him. In the afternoon, with new tires and brake pads, the rider from Lleida increased the pace and, with no mechanical or navigation problems, crossed the finish line in 15th place of the stage.
"The first section was very slow and with a lot of rocks. We let another rider pass who was faster and that slowed us down a couple of minutes, as we had to slow down for him to overtake us and then stop to leave space between the two of us and avoid the dust. Between one thing and another, I couldn't find my rhythm. In the second special, however, I rode more at ease and I was able to go faster to finish really happy",
said Isidre Esteve after crossing the finish line.
His total accumulated time of 7 hours, 1 minute and 5 seconds placed him 13th overall in the car category. This result represents Isidre Esteve's best classification after his four car participations in the Baja Aragon, by improving on the 16th place achieved in 2018. On this occasion, his feat has enormous merit, not only because of the large number of entries (132), but also because of the high level of participation. The Oliana native finished 28'21" behind the overall winner, Qatar's Nasser Al-Attiyah.
"It has been an incredible weekend. I'm happy with the pace and the sensations, which encourages us a lot for the future. For the first time, I felt very comfortable and competitive in every kilometer. I want to thank my team for the great work they have done to get the Hilux Overdrive more ready than ever and adapted to me, which allows me to go faster and safer in the race",
said a satisfied Isidre Esteve who is already thinking about his next challenge: the Rally of Morocco, to be held from October 8 to 13.
Automatic translation
Source Official press release
