Sébastien Loeb will compete in three rallies with Citroën in 2018

Sébastien Loeb, co-driven by Daniel Elena, will make his return in WRC in 2018 with Citroën Racing. The Alsatian, nine-time world champion, will indeed compete in three rallies with the C3 WRC in Mexico (March 9-11), the Tour de Corsica (April 6-8) and Catalonia (October 26-28).

The current pilot Peugeot Sport will indeed not be able to take part in his favorite event of Rally of Monte-Carlo (January 25-28), the timing with the Dakar contested with the Lion being too tight. The Monegasque classic was the last rally in which Loeb took part in 2015. The Frenchman was already able to test the C3 on asphalt and on gravel in 2017.

“Everyone came out happy with this year's tests, me first and foremost, and these three participations are the logical continuation, admits Loeb. The sensations of rallying are among the strongest I have experienced, and I wanted to race in these new WRCs.

It's nice to do it within the team with which I won everything! I go there without pretensions, with the aim of having fun. I found it logical to compete in the French rally, especially since I always liked asphalt, even if I don't know the current route of Corsica. Spain was also doing well.

Then, even though I expect it to be complicated since I haven't done one, I also wanted to do a dirt event. Now I have good memories of Mexico, and the route has not changed too much compared to my time. »

The Frenchman will ride in the second C3 WRC for these three events, alongside Chris Meeke, who will leave for a new complete campaign with the Chevrons firm. Craig Breen will also be at the wheel of the C3 for the ten other rounds of the calendar.

These confirmations come at the expense of Stéphane Lefebvre, which will however be requisitioned on a Citroën C3 R5 in WRC-2. Khalid Al Qassimi will compete in a few events with the C3 WRC.

“We decided for 2018 to capitalize on what we have been building for several seasons now with Kris and Craig, explains Yves Matton, director of Citroën Racing. The leader's burst of speed is undeniable, and with the serenity regained at the end of the year, he demonstrated that he has the makings of a leader.

The objective will be to aim for podiums and achieve victories, but Kris can also play placed in the championship. Craig, for his part, proved that he was a perfect complement to him, with great regularity. And he has room for improvement, to aim even higher.

I am also delighted to see the great story between Sébastien Loeb and Citroën continue: he could not make his return to the WRC under any colors other than ours! He confirmed that he had lost none of his driving skills during the test sessions carried out, even if he will miss the knowledge of the special stages and the kilometers in the face of increasingly keen competition.

Stéphane finally maintains our confidence: we are convinced that he will be a good ambassador for the Citroën C3 R5 on which the brand has great hopes. And this program will allow him to continue to gain experience and thus continue his progress. »