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The car is incredible. I had so much fun that the day went by like a breeze.
Isidre Esteve has adapted to the Sodicars BV6 prototype he will compete with at the 2018 Dakar Rally surprisingly fast. After reaching 36th place in yesterday’s prologue race, this Saturday he has moved up 12 positions and is now in 24th overall place and 6th place under the T1.2 category, after completing the longest stretch of the 2017 Baja Aragón. He has accomplished all this despite having little experience driving his new vehicle, which forces him to steer and control the brakes and throttle with one hand and the sequential transmission with the other.
This Saturday’s 218-mile (351-kilometre) race has served to show the Repsol Rally Team driver the enormous potential of his new car. “The car is incredible. We still don’t know all it can do and we are discovering it one kilometre at a time”, he enthusiastically stated.
The day comprised two specials: Teruel–Perales del Alfambra (135 mi/217 km) and Celadas–Teruel (83 mi/134 km). Isidre Esteve and his co-driver Txema Villalobos completed the course in 5 hours, 15 minutes, and 24 seconds. “The two special races were different, but we know the terrain well from previous years. The best part is that there are lots of people by the tracks, especially by the water and the more spectacular zones“, Isidre explained.
The day’s only setback arose in the afternoon, about halfway down the SS3, when Isidre Esteve’s car stopped because of an electrical malfunction and made him lose around three minutes. Despite this, at the end of the day the Repsol and Onyx Seguros driver ended on 24th overall place and sixth place in the T1.2 category (4×4 modified diesel all-roader). A positive balance, considering the highly demanding nature of this scored test for the Spanish Off-Road Rally Championship and the Cross-Country Rally World Cup.
“We’re very happy, because now it’s a question of driving with the new car as much as possible, and the most positive side to this is that we’re getting better and faster every day. There are still things to improve on and the mechanics are working on that, but the best part of this is that we can go much faster than now. There’s plenty of room for improvement. The car is incredible. We still don’t know all it can do and we are discovering it one kilometre at a time”, Isidre commented.
Before the last stage, the driver from Oliana declares he is “very happy and motivated. Today, we’ve completed over 300 kilometres [186 miles] and the day went by quickly, which shows we had a lot of fun”. Tomorrow, the last 184-kilometre [114-mile] timed stretch of the 2017 Baja Aragón awaits them. The driver will take advantage of the experience to continue adapting to the Sodicars Racing BV6 prototype, which boasts a 3-litre, 335-hp BMW biturbo diesel engine with a tube frame and sequential manual transmission and adapted hand controls on the steering wheel.