Sébastien Loeb retires from Safari Rally Kenya

Hopes of coronation in Kenya are over for Sébastien Loeb. Alors qu’il était en 5e position après la la spéciale marathon de Kedong (31,25 km) ce vendredi, derrière les 4 Toyota, le Français a été contraint à l’abandon. Comme au Portugal, le nonuple Champion du monde ne disputera pas l’intégralité du Safari Rally Kenya. La journée est finie pour Sébastien Loeb et Isabelle Galmiche mais ce problème moteur pourrait peut-être déjà mettre un terme à leur week-end de course.  

💔 @SebastienLoeb's #SafariRallyKenya return is over 😩 #WRCLive #WRC

- World Rally Championship (@OfficialWRC) June 24, 2022

While the day started well for Sébastien Loeb, it was in SS4 that the situation got tough. At the end of the special, a fire broke out in the engine of his Ford Puma. “ I finished without any problem and after the stop point, I drove a few meters, I stopped to take off the helmet and the engine stopped automatically. I tried to restart it but it wouldn't work. », explained Sébastien Loeb at the side of the road. While trying to reach the park with the electric motor, the Frenchman finally stopped 8 kilometers from it. 

Dreams of a first #WRC Safari Rally win for @SebastienLoeb are in huge jeopardy ❌

His car is struggling with an engine problem 😬 pic.twitter.com/91ci5OBswJ

— DirtFish (@DirtFishRally) June 24, 2022

« Scratch time, fesh-fesh, and abandonment: that's the summary of the morning here in Kenya. We were satisfied with our pace this morning with the best time in SS2… But the mechanics decided otherwise », specifies Sébastien Loeb on Twitter. 

His teammate, Gus Greensmith also had a complicated 4th special. The Englishman saw his right rear tire exploded and was forced to change it, ultimately losing more than ten minutes. SS5 can be followed in live text from 12:09 p.m. 

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