Isidor Esteve: ‘Small goals must lead to big results’

Last February, a few weeks after the Dakar Rally, Isidore Esteve answered the call from the MD. He’s on his way to Madrid and he’s talking to his sponsor about getting a T1+, a top-of-the-line car with bigger wheels and more suspension travel than his 4×4 of last year. I was. I wanted a “top” car. And ten months after him, he will be competing in his eighth Dakar 2023 after suffering a spinal cord injury in his 2007. In what he himself defines as his life’s project, the Dakar Rally, the long-awaited Toyota will enter the Repsol Rally in a Hilux T1+. team.

In February, he was not wrong.

(Laughter) I remember saying, ‘Fabio, I’m going to get my T1+ today. That day I was about to go to Repsol to propose his 2023 Dakar project and tell him that the car had to be changed. They told me: ‘Isidre, every time you come, you ask for more. I told them, ‘No, you have to, because otherwise you won’t be competitive.’ And we did. We are lucky to have both great sponsors: Repsol, MGS, Toyota, KH7 and other technical sponsors. They always listen to us and open doors for us.

Did they tell you that the first time?

In this case they said they understand me and they see it as I do but I need to see what other sponsors say and see if T1+ is available I had to talk to Toyota Spain to do it. They supported me, but I had to figure out how to mature this project.

How long did it take from that exposure to finally getting the car you wanted?

In May, it was already clear. In less than 3 months we already have a sport project and a car. There was an important moment in acting with the press at a farm owned by Nasser Al-Attiyah near Barcelona, ​​with Toyota Europe and Toyota Spain. We could talk a lot about what we should do. And Toyota told me to take that step, go to Toyota Gazoo Racing Spain and see how it could do.

Did you believe you could get this car?

I don’t know why, but over the last few years, we’ve earned the trust of those around us and our sponsors, and we’ve done everything we’ve suggested. Yes, but here everyone takes a risk whenever a decision is made and there is always consensus on where to go. Logically, doing this is more complicated than it sounds, but this belief has always existed.

Another would have been happy with the car they had.

There is a way to ask for things. I always say first what I truly believe needs to be done. And we reach the end point at the meeting.

A better car is more pressure.

I already like going to Dakar because I know I have a good car. But there is no pressure for results from sponsors. Because my sponsors know that I will always give my best.

His car is last year’s T1+ 2nd generation.

It’s the best car I’ve ever driven. Yes, it is the second generation of T1+. Official Toyota’s his T1+ is powered by a V6 Biturbo engine and ours is powered by his V8 engine. But they are no longer a big difference.

He says this is his life project. Did it exceed your expectations?

I am so proud to have come this far with the best people. After years of sponsorship support, in 2017 we were backed by Repsol again. That’s where I started to believe that we could start thinking big. is the reason why I am so happy. It’s a shared project. We have sponsors who believe in it and like the concept itself. They know I’m not going to Dakar to win, but nevertheless they understand the project, empathize with it and make it their own.

His example is important to many and shows that injuries do not end the world and must move forward.

Injuries were not the end. It was the discovery of a new stage in my life with sports projects and social projects like the Isidre Esteve Foundation, which helps people with disabilities through sports. We compete in sports that are great examples of inclusive sports. We all face the same challenges, the same difficulties, the same categories. It makes me feel better.

What would you say to someone with a similar injury? Perhaps you have questions about where to start or where it gets more difficult.

Yes, of course. We all have our own reality. A lot of the time, “I want power” is a small detail. I mean, not all of us can do what we want. There are things that limit us.

“A lot of the time, ‘want is power’ is a detail.”

Isidre Esteve, M.D.

Not everyone can go to Dakar.

You have to set very high goals, but first you have to build a ladder. It means achieving small goals as if they were big conquests. and go up.

“You have to achieve small goals and achieve them as if they were big achievements, and then move on.”

Isidre Esteve, M.D.

Are you already on the top step?

we are in a good place I don’t know where to go, where to go, what to do. The best thing is not to know. Well, we’re here with an incredible project. Let’s go to the competition!

“I don’t know where to go, where to go, what to do. Not knowing is the best thing.”

Isidre Esteve, M.D.

Last year he injured himself using the T1, which is inferior to the T1+ and Buggy. Also because of the controversial starting order. All solved, but T1+ and bugs abound.

From Century to Toyota, Audi, MD… About 40 cars are lined up. But it’s great. What I like is that I can run more on the rocks than I used to. From top 10 to top 50, there are many equals. There are about 13 or 14 fast riders and eight of them are very fast. And then there’s another generation of pilots, us, from 14 to 30. One day the 18th, another day the 30th. we are there The race is very difficult and even enough that one day you can get incredible results. it could happen.

People need to understand that “incredible” is 18 steps.

It will turn out great. It’s hard to measure the competitiveness of the race from the outside, but it’s going to be a big one.

What’s the key at Dakar 2023?

I have seen it in Morocco. The T1+ category has reached this point in Saudi Arabia with the smallest tires he has used on his 4×4 before, and in one stage he punctured 5 or 6 times and he also punctured 8 times. Because something happened. The time has come for the Mini, Peugeot and MD buggies to produce extraordinary results and they needed to take a step forward to catch up (bigger wheels and more suspension travel than his 4×4 in his Isidre from 2022 ). And it turns out that this year I arrived in Morocco with a T1+ and played the same way. why? Because you’re on a stone road as if you were being chased by the devil. So I think the key to the 2023 Dakar is, first of all, knowing that there are 40 cars in this category and the pace is very high from day one. Be careful with that part. Just because you have a T1+ with super wheels doesn’t pierce the stone.Saw it in Morocco.

There are only two spare tires. If you click twice and don’t have a spare…here it is (points to the throat). Always drives in a straight line and needs attention in his first week. The important thing for me is to reach the rest of the stages with a car in good condition without falling out of position where I can get good results. Full of sand dunes, southeast of Saudi Arabia), nobody knows. There is a lot of sand in the second half and it is difficult. I would use a 4×4 with the advantages that the buggy had. We have a good car to tackle the whole Dakar and we have to manage the race well and make sure he doesn’t make mistakes that cost him three hours at a time. Losing 10 minutes a day… but the problem is losing hours a day. You go back and come back the next day. You’ll have to run every day, it’s not worth going easy, but you know how to find balance so you don’t run out of wheels or get stuck in the dunes.

“It is important to reach the rest of the stages with a car in good condition without falling from a position where good results can be obtained. And in the ’empty quarter’ no one knows…”

Isidre Esteve, M.D.

dreams?

To be able to continue the current life for many years.

What makes you happy when you reach your end goal?

No big deal, hopefully they can improve their results in South America (21st place in 2018 and 2019).

Thank you very much.

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