Ngo-2023, u-Isidre Esteve uzofika ebudaleni eDakar. Umshayeli wase-Oliana uzoqala ukuhlanganyela kwakhe ishumi nesishiyagalombili kulo mcimbi, okwesishiyagalombili esigabeni sezimoto, ehamba ngesondo leToyota Hilux T1+, azohlanganyela nomngane wakhe ongahlukaniseki, u-Txema Villalobos. Ababili beQembu le-Repsol Toyota Rally bazofuna umphumela wabo omkhulu kakhulu emqhudelwaneni wezimoto onzima kakhulu onenkambiso yemoto kaphethiloli evuselelekayo eklanywe i-Repsol ukuze kwehliswe izinga le-carbon footprint lifinyelele phezulu, hhayi kuphela emqhudelwaneni, kodwa nasekuhambeni kwansuku zonke.
Nge-4×4 yakhe entsha, u-Esteve uzovala umbuthano owaqala ngo-2012 lapho ebuyela emasontweni enephupho lokuba ne-bionomial, control kanye nophethiloli, okuncintisana njengabashayeli abahamba phambili. Ubefuna ukuqhudelana ngokulingana nabanye, kodwa unokulimala komgogodla abaphethwe yikho futhi kuyabaphoqa ukuthi bashayele nge-acceleration ne-braking control efakwe esiteringini. Futhi selufikile lolo suku. Ngenxa yokuzibophezela kwe-Repsol, MGS Seguros, KH-7 kanye neToyota, ngeToyota Gazoo Racing Spain, u-Isidre Esteve uzoshayela eDakar ka-2023 futhi uzoba namandla kakhulu kunokuba aphakamise intamo yakhe ekhubazekile.
IHilux T1+ entsha yase-ilerdense igqame ngomngcele okhudlwana (onobubanzi obungu-14 cm obukhulu kunaleyo ezosetshenziswa ngo-2022 okuhlanganisa nobubanzi obungu-7 cm, ngaphezu kokuba namasondo angu-17 inch esikhundleni sika-16), a ukumiswa ngokuhamba okuningi (kusuka ku-275 kuya ku-350 mm) nobukhulu bangaphandle obuvulekile (bububanzi obungama-24 cm).
U-Esteve no-VALlalobos, ngesikhathi sesethulo esibanjwe kulo Msombuluko e-Barcelona Félix Romero
E-Dakar ka-2023, ithimba lizosebenzisa i-biofuel ethuthukisiwe ekhiqizwe emfucumfucwini i-Repsol eyenzelwe ukulamula kulo mqhudelwano esikhungweni sokusungula i-Repsol Technology Lab kuzo zonke izigaba. U-50% wabasebenzi ngonyaka odlule uya ku-75%, ngaphandle kokunciphisa izinzuzo zabo nengxenye eyodwa.
Emibuthanweni ebiseMorocco nase-Andalusia, lo mafutha ovuselelekayo asevele asetshenziswa futhi kwatholakala imiphumela eyajabulisa ochwepheshe kanye no-Isidre Esteve ngokwakhe: "Siyisebenzise kusukela ngekhilomitha lokuqala neHilux entsha futhi, vele, kuyo yomibili imiqhudelwano yiziphi izingxabano. Futhi ukusebenza bekulokhu kungavamile. Njengeqembu, siyaziqhenya ngokukwazi ukufaka isandla ngendlela eqondile kangaka ekuthuthukisweni kwemikhiqizo eklanyelwe ukunciphisa isimo sezulu. Ama-biofuels e-Repsol angadlala indima ebalulekile esikhathini esizayo esiseduze; Yindlela umphakathi ohamba ngayo futhi umncintiswano kumele uhole, njengenjwayelo, lolu shintsho”.
Imiphumela yeRepsol Toyota Rally Team emicimbini emibili eyibambe ekwindla ngenhloso yokuya edolobheni eliseSaudi Arabia iqinisekise imibono emihle ekuqaleni. Emqhudelwaneni wase-Morocco, obubanjwe ekuqaleni kuka-Okthoba, u-Esteve noVillalobos baqede endaweni yesikhombisa enhle kakhulu, bekleliswe endaweni yabo engcono kakhulu kumcimbi weWorld Rally-Raid onamasondo amane. Kwabe sekufika i-Andalucía Rally, nayo eseNdebeni Yomhlaba, enezigaba ezine zokufunwa okuphezulu kakhulu kuma-lathes, ngaphezu kwalokho, akukho lutho olulungele i-T1 noma u-Esteve okwakudingeka aphindaphinde amakhono akhe kanye nokumelana kwezingalo zakhe. Naphezu kwalokhu, wakhe enye i-top 10 ephelele esicongweni sokugcina, ngaphezu kwendawo yesine phakathi kwama-T1.
“Ngicabanga ukuthi sifike sizilungiselele kakhulu kunakuqala. Oka-2023 'Iphrojekthi', into ebesihlale siyifisa futhi ebesiyifuna iminyaka. Siqale ngenkundla yokudlala ngokulingana esingakaze siyijabulele. Ngenxa yalesi sizathu, sibhekene nomjaho ngesifiso esifanayo nesejwayelekile, nakuba sinomfutho owengeziwe, uma kungenzeka, ngenxa yemizwa emihle nokuncintisana esiboniswe yimoto”, kuqinisekisa ilerdense.
Nakuba imiphumela ikhuthaza kakhulu, u-Esteve uncamela ukuqapha ngaphambi kweDakar, ngenxa yokwanda kokuncintisana kwezimbangi: “Asizange sizibekele umgomo othile mayelana nokuhlunga. Kuyacaca ukuthi ngaso sonke isikhathi sifuna ukwenza ngcono ezingeni lezemidlalo, kodwa, nakuba sizuze izikhundla ezimbili zama-21 esikhathini esidlule, kufanele kuqashelwe ukuthi ukuncintisana kuye kwaxwayisa ngokumangazayo, kokubili ngobuningi nangekhwalithi. Manje siseqenjini lezimoto ezisheshayo ezingama-40 eDakar, ngakho-ke sekuyisikhathi sokusebenza ngesu lokufinyelela ekupheleni komhlangano futhi siwenze ngendlela engcono kakhulu ngangokunokwenzeka”, kunezela u-Esteve.
Sekusele nje ukulinda ukuthi i-31 Dakar Rally iqale ngoDisemba 2023 ukubona u-Isidre Esteve nethimba elakhiwe yiRepsol, MGS Seguros, KH-7 kanye neToyota Spain. Phambili bazoba nezigaba ezingu-14 futhi isethulo esinefomethi yomjaho enezinsuku eziningi namakhilomitha amaningi kunalokho u-Esteve akushoyo kufanele kube izihluthulelo: ukuhlolwa komhlaba wonke. Uma kuba nzima, kungcono kithina. Kuyacaca ukuthi kufanele sihlukanise imicabango yokuyohlasela kuze kube seqophelweni eliphezulu ezinsukwini ezithile futhi sisindise izingubo kwezinye ezikhethekile; Sekuyisikhathi sokuthi sihlale sicabanga ukuthi sibhekene nomjaho omkhulu we-marathon wezigaba ezingu-14 futhi sifuna ukufinyelela endaweni yesikhulumi sokugcina endaweni engcono kakhulu ngangokunokwenzeka. Sinethemba elikhulu lokuthola umphumela omuhle”.
