The Frenchman, nine times champion of the WRC world rally championship, starts strong at the Morocco Rally, the last seasonal event of the FIA W2RC. “I feel good in the car, I hope that next year will be the right one. We’ve worked a lot on reliability, this is a fundamental step to arrive at January prepared”
Sébastien Loeb he has a score to settle with the Dakar. After finishing on the podium five times (three times second, two times third), now only victory is missing for the nine-time world champion. Second year with Daciathe Frenchman has only one goal: to win the Dakar. The Morocco Rallystarted on Sunday 12th with the prologue in Fez and the arrival on Friday 15th in Erfoud in the south of the country, is crucial for making kilometers in view of the queen of rallies. Leading the general classification after winning the first special which took the competitors from Fez in the desert of southern Morocco to Erfoud (300 km of special for a total of 780 km), Loeb is confident that this could really be the right time.
After another year of experience with Dacia, do you think this could be the right year?
“I hope so. That’s the goal. We really hope we can fight in the top positions, definitely fight for the win. That’s what we want. I’m confident, we have more experience with the car than last year. There have been improvements in reliability and small adjustments in the set up too. Overall I feel good in the car. Everything seems to be working correctly.”
The Morocco Rally started off on the right foot.
“A first stage Dakar Style of almost 800 km, not at all obvious. The car works well and we had fun.”
What kind of work has been done to make the car more solid?
“We worked on reliability. The crucial point is not so much reliability mechanical solidity as much as the electrical system which is very complicated on this car. Last year we had problems with fans and other components. Now the system has been changed. We are confident on this front. As far as the actual mechanical part is concerned, I’d say it’s going quite well, even if it’s not yet our strongest point.”
What has been missing so far to win the Dakar?
“Every year there was a day that went wrong. There were various reasons: navigation errors, reliability problems sometimes in the past with Peugeot, breakages… Sometimes even my mistakes, accidents. On our side, however, we have speed. The objective is to have a constant race, without major problems.”
They say you need experience, but how important is luck?
“It counts, because it’s 15 days in very difficult terrain, complicated stages. You can’t afford a big mistake and that’s not easy. Doing two perfect weeks is really complicated.”
He changed co-pilot, is this a reason for new motivation?
“Yes, I would say that there was a need to change something. Nasser also wanted to change, and the team was also pushing in that direction. So we decided together that maybe it was worth trying something different. It’s a change that we all shared. At the moment I don’t have much experience with Edouard Boulanger, we only did Portugal, and it went well. The Morocco Rally becomes fundamental.”
What is your goal for the Morocco Rally?
“Securing second place in the championship as a team. Edouard (Boulanger, ed.) is also fighting for the title among the co-drivers, Nasser for the drivers’ title. So the objective is general for the team. But the most important thing is to have a good rally, everything else comes as a consequence – it will be good for morale, for confidence in view of the Dakar. The Morocco Rally is also useful at terrain level, very similar to what we will find in Saudi Arabia.”
Who do you see as your main rival?
“Myself [ride]. Today it is difficult to say who the main rival is. In the past I would have said Nasser (Al Attiyah) – and he still is to some extent. But now there are several very fast riders like Lategan or Moraes. Not only that, Carlos [Sainz] which is always there. So I would say that there are at least 7-8 riders capable of fighting for the victory.”
Many drivers would like its speed. Is there a quality you would like to take from other drivers?
“I would like to understand Peterhansel’s secret. How did he manage to win so many consecutive years? There is an element of luck, but Peter managed to put everything together year after year. There is a method and perhaps it is also a question of knowing how to attract luck.”
What quality does Mr Dakar possess that he doesn’t think he has?
“I think he is more capable of going slowly when needed, of understanding and reading the desert, of feeling situations. It’s part of the experience.”
Compared to other types of races, what makes the Dakar special?
“When you are a professional driver it is different than an amateur. We manage to drive in our comfort zone almost always. But sometimes there are unexpected situations. Even if you don’t push beyond the limit, it can become very difficult. You have to be focused on what you see and on the indications of the navigator.”
The Dakar gave her satisfaction but also great disappointments. What still keeps you motivated?
“It’s a personal challenge. I still like the competition, I know I can be competitive. It’s nice challenge try to win it. I have already done many things in my career, and this is not easy. Precisely for this reason I am even more motivated.”
Last question: Fernando Alonso could return to the Dakar in 2027. Who would you like to see on the Formula 1 grid?
“It’s a good challenge, but in general F1 drivers have the ability to go fast and understand how it works, so they can certainly do well. Fighting for victory is another thing, you need to understand the logic of this race, get into the system, but it’s possible.”
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED