Dakar 2023 – Sébastien Loeb: “The general classification is a bit dead”

Sébastien Loeb (Bahrain Raid Missing bodywork, flat tire, the Alsatian's mount was difficult to see, in complete contrast with the encouraging start to the event the day before (2023nd, 1 seconds behind Carlos Sainz).

The vice-world champion of rally-raid (W2RC) and second in the 2022 Dakar then got out of his car with the look of very bad days. Not one, not two, but three punctures slowed down the progress of the red 4×4, which lost 1h26′ on the leader of the Dakar 2023, Carlos Sainz.

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With the two spare wheels used, Sébastien Loeb had to wait for the donation of a new tire from his teammate Orlando Terranova. Angry, he then damaged the front of his car as well as the hood. Upon arrival, the star was disillusioned. “The whole special was hell, in terms of driving it was completely uninterestinghe says.

We drove over stones in slow motion, we tried to cross steep passages without puncturing, without success. We had to repair a little with bits, the device for the bits was broken, and so on… We did everything we could to drive slowly but there was nothing to be done. It was not at all suitable for a car like ours. »

The prospect of seeing Sébastien Loeb and Fabian Lurquin win the 2023 Dakar is practically zero according to the two men. “I don’t think about it anymore. The general is a bit dead. »