Loeb shows humility ahead of Rally Spain

Sébastien Loeb will complete the last of his three stints of the year in WRC at the wheel of the Citroën C3 WRC, competing this week in the Rally of Spain which he won 8 times in 13 participations.

The Alsatian showed good performances earlier this season in Mexico and at the Tour de Corse, but his results were disappointing (5th and 14th) due to a poorly managed puncture and going off the road. The record WRC title holder intends to adopt a good pace even if he remains measured on his objectives.

“After showing great results on both surfaces in Mexico and then in Corsica, I would like to be able to compete in a full rally without making any mistakes. My two days of testing went well, it's now up to me to succeed in putting everything together. The level is so high that it would be pretentious to say that I will fight with the three who are playing for the title, but I hope to be in the running.", comments Sébastien Loeb.

In this mixed event where the first stage will be contested on gravel, Sébastien Loeb could benefit from his position back on the road... Provided that the conditions remain dry.

“If it is dry on the ground, we will have to manage to exploit the potential advantage linked to our starting order, because there is always a lot of things happening on this stage, with its stones hidden almost everywhere”, adds the Frenchman.

His teammate Craig Breen can also hope to make the difference on the first day where he will also benefit from a position behind, but the Irishman mainly intends to show himself on the two stages contested on asphalt.

“I am delighted to be back on asphalt, my favorite surface, especially as there are always a lot of Irish people who travel to this rally. I'm also happy that the dirt day has evolved a little, given that I haven't competed in the event for two years. For asphalt, I'm counting on my past as a kart driver to quickly find my feet on these circuit-style roads, and be as clean and efficient as possible. Because the objective is indeed to continue my momentum in Great Britain and fight for the podium”, warns the Irishman whose best result in Spain is a 6th place acquired in 2012.

“The weather on the first day on gravel will have an influence on our performances, but if we come home in a good position on Friday evening, we then know that we can count on the potential of the C3 WRC on asphalt to try to defend our crown in this race. Especially since Sébastien and Craig both have arguments to put forward: the first is an eight-time former winner of the event and has already shown us this year that he has lost none of his talent, while the second comes from a good performance in Wales », summarizes Pierre Budar, the director of Citroën Racing.

If Citroën has nothing to hope for in the Manufacturers' ranking, the Chevron brand is still aiming for a first victory this year by being the only manufacturer not to have yet won. A good result from Sébastien Loeb could also motivate the Alsatian to get back behind the wheel of the C3 WRC in the future, Peugeot abandoning World RX at the end of the year.