MadridThe Dakar is already underway, and with it many hopes and goals are being reborn. Isidre Esteve (La Seu d’Urgell, 1972) is now the seventh time he has taken part in the toughest engine test in the world with a car. He is different, and not because he has a disability, but because of the values he represents and defends in and out of the car. The pilot is perfectionist, realistic. Aware of his limitations, he has adapted his car but not his goals.
What is the Dakar for you?
– Whenever a new Dakar is approaching, we face it with great enthusiasm because we prepare it all year round. We try to correct the mistakes of previous years and see what we can improve. In the last two years, the pandemic has made day-to-day and teamwork very difficult. It made a lot of things we couldn’t do at the pace we wanted. Once the race arrives, you isolate yourself from everything and forget about it. The Dakar takes you back to a state of normalcy, because for 15 days you get up to compete and go to sleep, correcting mistakes and running again. For us, the arrival of this race is a very important moment.
How do you expect it to be this year, with the new route?
– I have been competing in the Dakar for 16 years and I have never experienced one that is easy. There is always a very high level of demand. There may be a route that is 70% new or has more dunes than ever before, but the Dakar will remain the same. These are stages of 300 to 480 kilometers with a lot of stone that can be very complicated. I expect a demanding Dakar, complicated and difficult, as it should be. The work we have done throughout the year should make us feel more confident that we are ready and will perform well.
Do you think it is less dangerous than last year, when Gonçalves died?
– In this race, things happen that we don’t like and everyone works so that it doesn’t happen. The International Motorcycle Federation, the International Motoring Federation, the ASO team … They are all looking to put a stop to all this. I think it’s more related to the evolution of the materials we carry in both cars and motorcycle riders, rather than to the race itself, which has reduced the top speed of cars. But there are no accidents for that. In motorcycles, the airbag has been developed, tools to talk to the riders and activate them in case of accidents. I believe in it, because in this way we improve the safety to fly.
How is it time to experience the death of a partner? Álex Márquez, in an interview with ARA, stated that if it happened to him again now, he would not run for a GP.
– Many things happen in life that we would not like to happen. I don’t believe in radical decisions, I believe in well-planned work to avoid accidents. Unfortunately, they happen on a day-to-day basis, and more and more work needs to be done to develop products that provide that security.
How do you mentally manage the preparation of the Dakar?
– It is best to prepare it professionally. It’s what we like, because it’s our job. We give thanks for being professional pilots and we get up every day to train and be better and do well. We have by our side the brands that provide us with the best materials to be able to compete. We are going to compete together to get a result. We are there to do the job we set out to do.
How is your day-to-day life with your team in such an extreme situation?
– What we live as a team is extraordinary. On a day-to-day basis, all members of the team have a different life at home. We have family, other work, other worries, and so on. When you get to the race, we isolate ourselves from this second life and enter another one where we all work for the same and take care of each other. There comes a time when you don’t even know what day of the week it is or what’s going on in the world, just think about having everything ready to go out in the morning. It’s another life, and we’re lucky enough to share it all on the team. It is the second family.
How do you carry your mindset and spirit of improvement on a daily basis?
– I had the accident 14 years ago and one of my goals was to do my best not to give up what I love and continue in the world of sports. There are things I miss, but there are so many things I value and have learned to do differently that I don’t think so much about anymore. I try to make the most of what I have and not think about what I don’t have.
Explain that when you drive the car you are missing a third hand. How can we make sure you don’t miss it?
– The day the car has an automatic transmission, it will be less work for me. That the brakes could be electric instead of hydraulic or manual … But time plays in our favor and it will be easier and easier to drive this car.
An essential part for you is your co-pilot, the Txema. How is your relationship with him?
– Very personal. It is above all. There are no secrets, he knows how I am and I know what he is like. He knows all my weaknesses, what makes me nervous, and all the details, and I know him. Before things happen we already know that we are doing it to make it happen. For me, this human treatment is very important for the day to day running of the race.
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