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“We’re thrilled with this terrific start, which gives us great momentum to take on the challenging Rallye du Maroc.”
The Repsol rally Team has begun its participation in the Rallye du Maroc on a high note. In this final stop before the Dakar 2019, Isidre Esteve completed the first 10 kilometers of the race at 13th overall and second in his category: his best performance yet in this prologue to the World Cup for Cross Country Rallies.
“Achieving a result like this one is a tremendous way to begin such a demanding race and will give us a great deal of momentum for the whole team to continue working hard,” said the rider from Oliana, who participated with a BV6 Sodicars racing prototype with adapted controls on the steering wheel.
Isidre Esteve arrives at the Rallye du Maroc with the goal of testing his vehicle’s behavior in the desert, in conditions similar to those he’ll face in Peru in the upcoming 2019 Dakar Rally. The first contact made today has been a positive experience, as he’s been able to corroborate the advances made by his prototype this season over the difficult terrain of Fez.
“Without a doubt, it’s a magnificent way to begin a rally, but we can’t forget that the most difficult part is yet to come,” acknowledged Isidre Esteve at the end of a prologue that came with difficulties of its own: “We had to make a little detour due to a brake issue and that delayed us a bit, though the important thing is to get it fixed so that it doesn’t happen again tomorrow, when the real race happens.”
Despite the slight departure from the route, the Repsol Rally Team marked a final time of 10 minutes, 18 seconds: 1:51 away from winner Nasser Al-Attiyah.
This excellent time means that Isidre Esteve and his copilot Txema Villalobos will be among the first 15 cars to begin the race tomorrow. This will be an ideal place to take on the first stage, a 516-kilometer (321-mile) stretch between Fez and Erfoud — 103 kilometers (64 miles) of which will be timed.
Our driver is very clear on what his strategy will be: “Our goal is to become more competitive from one day to the next, and to get there we try to achieve a good race pace and avoid any kind of problem.”
The Rallye du Maroc will finish October 9th, after traversing a total of over 2,000 kilometers, 1.362 of them timed (1,243 and 846 miles, respectively).