Isidre Esteve: "The Dakar is a challenge, I like to face the unknown"

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Isidre Esteve (Oliana, Lleida, 1972) is an example of improvement.

And of competitiveness.

Next week he will face his eighteenth edition of the Dakar rally, a race he came close to winning several times in the motorcycle category.

In 2007 he suffered an accident in the Spanish Raids Championship, held in Almería, which

, which is why he now competes in cars that are driven without feet, only with his hands.

In 2023, together with co-driver Txema Villalobos, he will participate with the Repsol Rally Team in a Toyota Hilux, a brand driven by Qatari

, 2022 champion. On this occasion, the rally will be held in Saudi Arabia from the next

In this edition he will drive a T1+, which already left excellent sensations in the last Dakar.

What prospects do you have? We are very happy.

We have a wonderful car, the one that won the last edition of the Dakar.

It allows us to go around the tracks with a pace that we didn't imagine, but we are aware that there will be 40 drivers who will compete with this same type of car.

We are very satisfied to start the Dakar 2023 in the same technical conditions as the rest.

We know that there will be drivers who will have slightly better cars and who are faster, but we are happy with our car.

Now, when we reach a stony area, we can go deep.

And, if someone sacrifices himself, it will be because he believes that he can play. 70% of the stages will have an unprecedented route.

Does facing the unknown particularly motivate you? I like facing the unknown, yes.

We have taken a step forward, now we have the tablet with the roadbook just 10 minutes before leaving.

I think that the Dakar has to be complicated, with new stages, navigation has to be important, not everything has to be racing.

The Dakar is not a speed race, it must have a balance between difficulty, navigation, speed and teamwork.

And when you find this balance, that's when you manage to win. What does it feel like to finish a race like this just for the simple fact of finishing it? For me, the best experience was in 1998, when I went to the Dakar for the first time. time in Africa.

It was a brutal personal experience, due to the fact of discovering a continent that is next door,

but we are completely unaware.

Discovering Morocco, Mali, Burkina-Faso, Senegal... It was incredible.

The Dakar is a challenge and being able to experience it is amazing. It will be his eighteenth participation.

Does that make it more special? No.

For me, there is a first stage in motorcycles, they were 10 phenomenal years in which we were able to enjoy this race to its fullest, achieving good positions and also fighting to win in the last five or six years.

That was incredible.

After the accident, I feel lucky to be able to continue competing.

Naturally, I have to do it in a car, but to have been able to find a competitive team is really wonderful. This year marks the 15th anniversary of his accident.

What balance do you make of this time? I'm happy.

When I had the accident I thought that there were many things that I could not do and then I have seen that I can do them.

I have 100% autonomy, I can continue to enjoy the world of competition and this wonderful race.

In addition, in 2011 we were able to create the Isidre Esteve Foundation, with which we help many people with disabilities through sport, there are the books... We have had some brutal experiences throughout these 15 years, but the best thing is to be able to continue doing what we like the most.

That's the best. Was the prospect of being able to compete again one of the things that pushed you the most to move forward? I don't know... The issue of competing again made me feel better, it was like giving continuity to what that he was already doing

The truth is that, at this point, I have discovered other things.

Before the accident,

I got up and trained more and better just thinking about winning.

He did nothing else.

Now, I am at another point in life, I am 50 years old, there are things that I see differently and I think that I am capable of giving more value to many things that I did not even see before. What is it that cost people the most? Time to readjust to the way you drive? With the controls it is often complicated.

They are going very well, but there are moments in which the work accumulates and I cannot do everything.

Brake, accelerate, steer the car to one side or the other, downshift... Many times, I would need a third hand, but hey, I'm happy with how we got ahead. What is it about this race that every year forces you to to return? The Dakar rally is also a way of life.

Sport itself is a way of life and I feel lucky to be able to do it,

With these sponsors that I have by my side, with this illusion of returning... All this is what pushes me to try to be more and more competitive. Has the fact that it is going to be a race with long stages affected you again? the way of preparation? No.

We have trained the same as always.

I like that the Dakar is longer, because it gives regularity more possibilities and it's something that favors us as a team. How long do you see yourself competing in the Dakar? As long as the motivation exists.

As long as I'm motivated to compete, and have the support to do so, I'll keep running.

I like that the Dakar is longer, because it gives regularity more possibilities and it's something that favors us as a team. How long do you see yourself competing in the Dakar? As long as the motivation exists.

As long as I'm motivated to compete, and have the support to do so, I'll keep running.

I like that the Dakar is longer, because it gives regularity more possibilities and it's something that favors us as a team. How long do you see yourself competing in the Dakar? As long as the motivation exists.

As long as I'm motivated to compete, and have the support to do so, I'll keep running.

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