From Faro to Nogaro with Loeb

Did you feel the differences of the new Citroën C4 while driving? WRC ?
“The evolution concerns the engine which is a little better. These are things about which I am not particularly sensitive. In terms of behavior, I don't feel any big differences. If you gain one or two seconds over thirty kilometers, that's good but you don't necessarily feel it while driving. »

The accumulation of victories means that, from the outside, people think it?s easy? that you have no adversary. How do you react ?
?Sometimes I wish I could tell them that it?s not easy. But, I can't stop people from thinking what they want. You have to give yourself every time. To win a rally, you have to combine several things that must be perfect. At the team level, the preparation of the car, the co-driver and the driver. We are currently in a positive spiral. Everything is going well at the moment even if it is not easy. »

Isn't it frustrating to see that the media follows your exploits from quite a distance?
“I think there are other sports that are even worse off than rallying. I see a lot of athletes in gymnastics or athletics, for example, training to death every day, winning in their disciplines and not having any media coverage behind them. I consider that in my situation, I have nothing to complain about. The WRC is not as easy to highlight as the F1 »

However, you are one of the French?s favorite athletes and one of the best paid. Is it important for you to appear in the ranking of the richest?
“I don't care at all. I even consider that it doesn't really concern anyone. In addition, the announced values ​​are not accurate. »

The next rally is in Argentina. A date that you also enjoy?
“After Portugal, it’s another great rally. The atmosphere is fabulous. I also love the stages in Argentina. I'm starting to know them well. Before going to Nogaro, I did a test session to prepare for the two upcoming rallies. »

Did you have time to breathe before going to Nogaro?
« Non pas vraiment. Je suis rentré mercredi soir en Suisse et je devais repartir le lendemain en hélico à Nogaro car il était prévu que je roule ce matin. J?y vais avant tout pour me faire plaisir, prendre de l?expérience et voir si ça me plait. La Porsche Cup est un beau challenge à relever car j?ai affaire à des spécialistes. C?est vrai que j?ai envie de faire mieux qu?à Albi où ça n?avait pas été évident. Je cours aussi en GT1 sur une Ferrari associated with Ange Barde whom I met thanks to Soheil Ayari. With two one-hour relay races, I'm going to have fun. But the Ferrari, which I am going to discover, is not going to help me too much for the Porsche because they are two cars whose behavior is very different. »