Loeb: “Impeccable day for us”

From the first kilometers of the ninth event of the world rally championship, Sébastien Loeb set its own pace. At the end of the first day in Germany, the eight-time world rally champion created a lead of 20”4 over Petter Solberg. Even though he knows that anything can still happen, the Alsatian was satisfied with his performance when he arrived at the service park.

« It's a little less easy this year, because we are traveling the sectors in the opposite direction and we have to rediscover the pitfalls of these roads, explains Loeb. The fast sections are narrow and bordered by sidewalks, and the hairpins constantly break the rhythm. Everything is going well for us, since we didn't get any heat. The road was quite dirty and dusty on the second pass, but everything went well. Overall, it was an impeccable day for us. Even if I controlled my race well today and the gap with my pursuers is already significant, I am not safe from anything, especially on the eve of two passages in Panzerplatte. »

Sébastien Loeb's performances did not fail to impress Yves Matton, director of Citroën Racing. “ Once again, he was brilliant. When conditions are tricky, he knows not to take unnecessary risks, He explains. But as soon as the road is clean, he immediately attacks and widens the gap with his competitors. It?s good to have amassed this small lead, but we keep in mind that a rally is never played before arrival. »