Daniel Elena: 52 years old, 9 world titles and an exceptional career

This article comes from Collector AUTOhebdo dedicated to the career of nine-time world rally champion Sébastien Loeb, available on our online store. 

When was your very first meeting?

It was at the Vignoble Alsacien in 1997 (April 19-20, editor's note) which was a round of the Volant Peugeot . I was riding with Hervé Bernard. Seb was the first time we saw him with his 106 ex-Marylise Tremblay and his yellow mirrors. He had the lock of hair in front of his eyes, the earring, the cigarette... I called him Leonardo di Carpaccio (in reference to the look of the actor Leonardo di Caprio. Editor's note)

What was the atmosphere like in the Volant?

It was still very family-friendly. We carried out the reconnaissance together and we happened to share the same lodges to reduce costs. At the Critérium des Cévennes, we started to discuss what happened next.

To team up?

My pilot was going to become a father. Although registered with Rally When he was young, it still cost a lot of money and he no longer had the means, so it was over for him. For his part, Seb had already worn out two or three navigators in a year and the one from the Cévennes had undoubtedly been scared when he saw him setting times with a twisted car. He told her he wouldn't continue. On Sunday we discussed it, and since we hit it off, we decided to try running together.

The first idea was to do the Saxo Kit-Car challenge?

No, because Dominique Heintz had tried to negotiate a 106 Maxi with Jean-Pierre Nicolas (head of customer competition at Peugeot Sport. Editor's note) to move directly up a gear. The latter having refused, Sébastien did not make it to the Youth Rally final where he was qualified and we turned to the Saxo. Our first Champagne Wine race immediately went well.

You haven't even had a test session to learn how to work together?

No. He lived in Alsace and I in Monaco. It wasn't easy. That didn't stop us from finishing just off the podium behind some big cars. During the opening event of the Trophy in Alsace, we led and were often in front of Fabien Doenlen who was playing with the official Saxo. Then we broke a gimbal. We got pushed and the stewards put us out of the race. It was from there that they changed the regulations. Initially it was only forbidden to be pulled, now it is also reprimanded to be pushed. It was not yet known to us that we were already changing the rules. (Laughs) It quickly worked out well between us. I knew how to “swing” the notes and we had the same philosophy. We were two guys who weren't there to mess around.

What was your ambition at that time?

We wanted to have fun, try to win this Trophy and show that we were getting faster and faster. At no time did we imagine achieving what we did.

Together, Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena have also completed the Dakar five times. © Julien Delfosse / DPPI

You have indeed achieved great things with the Saxo, but there have also been complicated moments…

At Val d'Agout, we won our first scratch victory. For him as for me, this had never happened to us before. At the Ronde Cévenole where we dominated, that was the start of the problems. In the penultimate stage we went out and I broke my ankle. A new car had been built, but we had an accident while testing it before Rouergue. It was green, in fact Jean-François Bérenguer still often says to Sébastien: “I saw your deer with the green markings…” It still exists and Dominique (Heintz, today co-responsible for the Sébastien Loeb Racing team. Editor’s note) even consider reassembling it.

Have you thought about stopping everything?

For my part, I was working. I was a boat diesel mechanic in Monaco. I also worked as a scuba diver… or in restaurants that arranged for me to be free when I had a rally. We met Richard Parisot and it was he who bought the orange-colored car like a Saxo Bic. I am still in contact with him and I find it very cool. At Le Touquet, the message was clear: we needed a big result and we were not allowed to go out. It was a good instruction that we heard for a long time under the direction of Guy Fréquelin. When we won this Trophy in 1999, we won nothing apart from a production Saxo. We had nothing left in our pockets!

Did you have to find other support because the original people decided to withdraw?

It was normal. They had achieved their goal by releasing a young person and allowing him to be talked about and establish himself. Afterwards, he had to manage. During this year, there were two participations with the Toyota Corolla WRC. We didn't ask too many questions. There were some good performances, we placed in the Top 10, but it was more PlayStation console driving with big counter-calls, big drifts in the hairpins than precision… It was great .

Looking back, tackling the French Terrestrial Championship in 2000 was an excellent idea!

Knowing that there is 80% dirt in the World Cup, it was the best path to follow. We managed to find partners like Jean-Pierre Champeau (), who was truly passionate, or Frédéric Schmitt. Still with the aim of discovering WRC rounds, we went to Finland and Wales with a Saxo VTS. We had great times in the fog and rain, but at the end of the rally, the car stopped on the road. After dismantling the fuel pump that Seb had thrown on the ground in anger, we said to ourselves that perhaps we should look at the fuses… and that was it. Our finances being catastrophic, this bonus to the RAC was important. In France, seeing the results we were achieving, Citroën began to help us by providing us with more advanced engines. We were a sort of semi-official crew and played for the title until the last round in Vaucluse where we made a stupid mistake at the start of the race. After that, nothing. Rallying was taking up so much time from my life that I told Sébastien I was thinking of quitting. I was twenty-eight and in love. Since the age of nineteen, I put all my money into this sport; I wanted to settle down.

What made you change your mind?

When Seb told me that he had had a discussion with Guy (Fréquelin, see Grand Témoin. Editor's note) and that he was entrusting us with the Xsara for the Var. This led to our registration for the 2001 French championship with the Kit-Car which we won despite two mistakes. In Moyrazès at Rouergue, we were unable to validate our time at 3 tenths of Philippe Bugalski's record... In Super 1600, we won all the rounds in which we participated with great fights with the Fiat Punto of Andrea Dallavilla and François' Ford Puma Duval (see Great Witness. Editor’s note). We were finally the first Junior world champions. All this led to a childhood dream: competing in a WRC event in an official car at Sanremo (Italy).

Do you have good memories of it?

Necessarily. There was an impressive lineup. Jean-Claude Vaucard (technical manager. Editor's note) went to see us in the special stages with Guy Fréquelin and he told us that we were sliding too much. Seb then asked Gilles Panizzi how he negotiated the pins. This greatly amused Gilles who replied: “You're coming back at me, don't you think I'm going to help you? ". Finally, we obtained a podium for our first appearance in the World Cup with an official car.

Was it from this rally that your career took off?

2002 was a busy year. We did the reconnaissance of the events and there was a program of several rounds with the Xsara, some of which were on dirt where we lacked experience. On the Safari alone, there are enough to fill several volumes with so many adventures happening to us. I even brought the car back after some stages because Seb had back pain. In Australia, on very specific terrain, we received a nice spanking. It was impossible, we couldn't do it and we took suitcases. The following year, to go back, we had to push him to get on the plane! At the start of the year, we also won the Monte-Carlo which was taken away from us on the green carpet and won our first victory in Germany. In addition to the World Cup, there were other things like the development of the Saxo T4.

Where were you in your relationships at that time?

In 1999, I left everything in the south and went to live in Alsace with my mother. I was sleeping on the couch with the cat and I was the one who had to push his 205 because we couldn't afford a new starter. We worked for Ambition Sport Auto where we recovered wrecks and then resold them. We were together 24 hours a day and it’s clear that this period united us.

From the outside, your relationship gave the impression that there was never any conflict...

No it is true. When we had something to say to each other, we did it and that allowed us to move on to something else.

Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena during their ninth championship title. © François Flamand/DPPI

A bit like in Japan 2007?

I made a mistake in my note. I told him a 130 “plus-plus” instead of a 130 “minus-minus”. We got out and couldn't continue. Seb was complaining and I told him “at least that proves that you’re listening to me!” ". He looked at me and said, “You’re really stupid!” » and he smiled. It was over, we could move on.

What was it like to rub shoulders with world champions? Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae in 2003?

They had a huge impact on the development of the Xsara. We had only known one brand in Mondial and they had experience with other cars like Ford or Subaru. The car has become formidable on all surfaces. After convincing Seb to return to Australia, something clicked on gravel and we had a great fight with Petter Solberg (Subaru).

The loss of the title at the end of the year against the Norwegian remains in your throat?

The events continued with the fire of a camera in Carlos' Xsara, Colin's puncture... we were in the lead when we received the instruction not to attack any more. When I do training courses with co-drivers today, one of the first things I try to teach them is respect. We accepted what Citroën asked of us and I am convinced that this brought us luck for the future.

During this first full year, you also experienced a complicated moment… (he cuts)

In Türkiye ? There was a concordance of several factors. The route had changed, we were first on the road, the calculation of consumption was very tight... In addition, at this intersection where we took a right instead of going left, the boxes in the road book corresponded exactly until so that we understand that it was false. Carlos and Colin were very fair too. Sébastien defended me because in the team, there were some who wanted to kick me out. At that time, we weren't necessarily very well valued. A co-pilot was a bit like a suspension that could be changed. There was only one for Seb and it took me a while to establish myself.

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Before competing in 2006 in the Kronos team's Xsara, were you on the trip to discover the Ford Focus?

Yes. At the end of the 2005 season, as Citroën was due to withdraw from the WRC, we completed tests for Wales. Malcolm Wilson (boss of M-Sport Ford. Editor's note) came to pick us up by helicopter. We slept in his mansion. (Danos imitates creaking doors. Editor’s note). Something scary. We tested the car, then there were negotiations and Claude Satinet (general manager of Citroën. Editor's note) committed to coming back in 2007 and we were able to develop the C4 while it was in the closet.

You then experienced a prosperous period until the rise of Sébastien Ogier.

There were records, series… At that time, there were not all these on-board cameras available on the Internet, which allows crews to ride knowing the courses by heart. Now the WRC has become a sprint. To obtain the images, Citroën had to pay them to ISC (the company holding the TV rights to the Championship, owned by David Richards, the former boss of Subaru. Editor's note). This is what they did at one time when Sébastien Ogier arrived. They bought them all and gave him everything. Why was he able to go fast in the first year in Finland when it took us three or four years to go over the bumps completely? I think the situation was mishandled. At first we tried to do everything we could to help him get there. When Julien Ingrassia found himself challenged internally as I had been when I started, it was I who defended him.

Did it get worse little by little?

Olivier Quesnel (director of Citroën Sport from 2008 to 2012. Editor's note) tried to reproduce with Ogier what his predecessor Guy Fréquelin had achieved with Loeb. If it hadn't been for all these problems, in the end Loeb would have retired in 2011. He wouldn't have been back for two years. Ogier was impatient, but we still got along well to the point of having barbecues on the weekends because we all lived very close. The media have inflated conflicts that did not exist. Everything got worse from Mexico 2011 (2nd round of the season. Editor's note). The positions were frozen when we were in the lead, then we had a mechanical problem after an assistance and I had to repair it. Ogier found himself leader and new instructions were given in his favor. Sunday morning, Loeb went to tell Ogier: "I'm coming to get you" and the latter went off the road in the first special... There were strategies during the year often oriented for Ogier as in Portugal or in Greece... This is one of the rare times where Seb has had strong words against the team in front of the media. The management of Citroën Sport played on our nerves.

Did you not regret not having completed the 2013 season in full?

We had two victories (Monte-Carlo and Argentina. Ed.), a 2nd place in Sweden and an outing in Alsace. Seb was already focused on the circuit.

At the end of this period, is that where he took you to the Dakar?

At first I thought he was joking. He called me to tell me to look at how it worked in rally raids. I had to learn what it was and we set off on this new adventure.

Do you have good memories of it?

Not from the last year (2021, abandonment. Editor’s note). The Prodrive team did not realize that we were on the Dakar and that there were no working hours for this type of competition. When we arrived in the middle of the night after struggling all day in the desert, there was no one waiting for us. They thought they were still on a circuit (the structure came from theEndurance. Editor’s note). There was no communication with the team. I appreciated the period more with Hyundai. I loved working with Andrea Adamo (director of Hyundai Motorsport from 2019 to 2021. Editor’s note).

How did you experience Monte-Carlo 2022?

Quietly, like an average spectator. With friends, we went on a special to see the rally go by. Our chili con carne was excellent. What Seb did was great. I sent him a message where I made fun of him by calling him old with his glasses!

Since you have known each other, have you found that Sébastien has changed?

When it's just the two of us with no one around, I find the same Sébastien that I've known for over twenty years. We find ourselves as in the days of our ascension, in the cool.

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