Is Sébastien Loeb tarnishing his legend at the Dakar?

Facts : since 2016, Sébastien Loeb is working hard to add the Dakar to its immense list of achievements. Winner of numerous stages, author of a pair of podiums on the premier event of the rally-raid, the nine-time world champion WRC still haven't found the key. And it is not his start to 2023 which will be likely to reassure his many and fervent supporters. From the 2nd stage, the Alsatian spent 90 minutes in the rocks. With so many failures on the Dakar tracks, isn't the best track record in French motorsport at risk of damaging its reputation?

YES, by Julien Billiotte

Once again, Sébastien Loeb will probably not win the famous Dakar. As since his first participation in 2016, unfortunately.

The Alsatian's immense track record does not need a victory over the queen of rally-raid events. But from the moment Loeb starts a race, French motorsport expects the WRC legend to win.

In this, the nine-time world rally champion is a prisoner of his aura. Anything other than success is almost perceived as failure.

Loeb's speed and driving skills cannot be questioned. Didn't he win the Monte-Carlo Rally and the Extreme E championship last year?

The enthusiasm of his debut on the Dakar, penalizing but very understandable, has logically diminished over the years. Bad luck, on the other hand, continues to stick to his coattails. But it doesn't explain everything.

In 2021, Loeb decided to part ways with his historic teammate Daniel Elena after another painful retirement at the Dakar.

« Prodrive puts a lot of effort into resolving issues with the car and the team, he explained to our colleagues from Latest News from Alsace.

For my part too, I questioned myself. I need to optimize the piloting and navigation. And that involves a change of co-driver. It's a difficult choice but it was necessary. ».

Associated since with the Belgian Fabian Lurquin on the rally-raid events, Loeb finished in a solid 2nd place at the 2022 Dakar. He thus equaled his best result which dated from the 2017 edition, where he came within a hair of victory at Peugeot facing Stéphane Peterhansel.

The Loeb-Lurquin duo presented themselves with high ambitions at the start of the 2023 Dakar, but all hope was already gone on the 2nd stage with 90 minutes lost in the rocks.

Since the end of the official program of the lion brand, Loeb has been riding under the colors of Bahrain Raid Xtreme at the wheel of a BRX Hunter prepared by Prodrive International. The structure does not lack allure or seriousness, but can it honestly compete with the factory efforts of Toyota and especially Audi?

Like all motorsport events, the Dakar has become an ultra-professional event where the firepower of the manufacturers makes the difference. Should we be surprised to see the BRX Hunters struggling in the rocks when the RS Q e-tron and other Hiluxes did not seem to suffer as much?

While waiting to find a factory wheel again, Loeb seems doomed to achieve one-off successes and win events less prestigious than the Dakar, such as the 2022 Andalusia Rally.

At 48 years old, the Alsatian is almost a newcomer in the world of rally raids where the dashing fifty-somethings Peterhansel and Nasser Al-Attiyah thrive, not forgetting the lively sixty-year-old Carlos “El Matador” Sainz, all multiple winners on the Dakar.

Loeb therefore has time on his side, but his obvious frustration last night, at the finish of the 2nd stage, underlines his growing impatience in an event where he seems cursed.

No, by Dorian Grangier

“A great career these days is measured by the number of failures. » This expression borrowed from Henri Jeanson, an eminent journalist and screenwriter of the XNUMXth century, faithfully illustrates the career of Sébastien Loeb.

He has very few failures. Judge by the size of his track record! Record holder for titles and victories in WRC with 9 world crowns and 80 rally successes, winner on the Pikes Peak, in WTCC, in rallycross, in Extreme E, without forgetting his 2nd place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2006! 

And the Dakar in all this? The legendary rally-raid event still resists the imperishable Alsatian. And yet, the record is still nice: three podiums in 6 participations – including two 2nd places, in 2017 and 2022 – and 12 stage victories: can we call this a failure?

Of course, the disappointment is always present because as a born competitor, the rally legend only aims for one thing: the final overall victory. But Sébastien Loeb is made of this metal, the one that never gives up. Failures are just a ladder that leads to success. If it's not 2023, then it will be another year. 

In no case do I believe that his legend is damaged following this new misadventure on the Dakar. Loeb represents a page – nay, a chapter! – motorsport, French and world. Its successes, as much as its failures, have forged and still forge its reputation. Loeb didn't win Le Mans, Loeb wasn't WTCC and WRX champion and yet he is more respected for trying rather than giving up.

And do not question the talent of the person in question: at 48 years old, he remains an indisputable reference in the world of rallying, as evidenced by his victory at Monte-Carlo in 2022. Failure is part of learning and growth. success of a driver, and this is even more true for an event as difficult as the Dakar. For sure, the Alsatian will return, with intact motivation to finally win. “Failure makes the strong strong” as Saint-Exupéry recounts, Sébastien Loeb is the perfect example.

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