N°203 Car BAHRAIN RAID XTREME

SEBASTIEN LOEB

(fra) 1.71m / 68kg

Hobbies

sport automobile, hélicoptère

Sponsors

Red Bull, BRX, Sébastien Loeb Racing

2023 : 2e (7 victoires d’étapes)
2022 : 2e (2 victoires d’étapes)
2021 : Abandon étape 8
2019 : 3e (4 victoires d’étapes)
2018 : Abandon (1 victoire d’étapes)
2017 : 2e (5 victoires d’étapes)
2016 : 9e (4 victoires d’étapes)

2023 : Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (11e) / Sonora Rally (ab.) / Rallye du Maroc (49e). W2RC : 4e
2022 : Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (8e) / Rallye du Maroc (56e) / Andalucia Rally (1er). W2RC : 2e
2021 : Baja Aragon (7e) / Championnat Extreme-E
Neuf fois champion du monde WRC (en 2001 et de 2004 à 2012)
3e du championnat du monde WTCC (en 2014 et 2015)
2e des 24 Heures du Mans (2006)
4e du championnat du monde de Rallycross (en 2017)
Vainqueur de Pikes Peak en 2013

Interview

“A steady sprint in which you never let up”

The greatest rally driver of all time adopted a modest profile in 2016, in keeping with his discreet and reserved temperament, to tackle the challenge offered by the Dakar. His driving skills wreaked havoc once he got into his Peugeot 2008 DKR. The question quickly arose as to whether he would manage to win in his first appearance, as Ari Vatanen had done in 1987. But the Alsatian crashed out of the rally. In the years that followed, he suffered from navigation errors that made victory impossible, the injury of his co-driver, mechanical breakdowns that shattered his plans for victory... in short, a complete panoply of problems that can disrupt the title contenders on the Dakar. However, the nine-time world champion has never given up and was back after the end of the Peugeot adventure. First in 2019 in a 3008, this time entered by PH Sport, with which he scored a 2nd podium finish on the Dakar (3rd). In 2021, he was seduced by the ambitious project of the Bahrain Raid Xtreme team, based on the ProDrive structure that has won many WRC titles. It was behind the wheel of the Hunter that Loeb became the most serious and consistent challenger to Nasser Al Attiyah, whom he immediately followed in the general classification of the last two editions of the Dakar and with whom he battled throughout the first two seasons of the W2RC. The Frenchman has put his best foot forward in the role of hunter that he has played during the past two Januarys, particularly in 2023, since in his chase, he managed to win seven stages, six in a row, leaving little doubt as to the ability of the duo that formed with Fabian Lurquin to remain competitive even when he has to open a stage. Although he didn't battle at the same level as last year on the various rounds of the W2RC with his great rival, the fact remains that their duel is shaping up again, more so as the transfer market has led Al Attiyah to change teams. The two favourites will fight on equal terms this time, and neither is happy to finish runner-up. Victory on the Dakar is the title missing from Loeb's trophy cabinet.


S.L.: “What I remember from the last Dakar is that this second place is motivating for the future because we were competitive. We now have to put everything together to win. Of course, it's not easy to beat Nasser Al Attiyah and Mathieu Baumel. They hardly make any mistakes. To do that, they'd have to have a few little problems. The worst thing is that he always keeps something in reserve. I don't know what it would be like if he was on maximum attack. With the progress made to the cars, which are increasingly solid and efficient, you can pass almost anywhere at very high speed, you don't crash in the dunes any more, and the race has become a very long and steady sprint, in which you never let up We have very few options for calming things down and trying to manage.
Now we'll have the same car, but I'm not sure that will change much in our rivalry. We'll have the same advantages and the same disadvantages. I know he likes to be the Hunter. So, he'll be terribly fast. And Nasser is the one who is most capable of lining up stage wins and maintaining a consistent level. But we'll also have a lot of competition from Toyota, and the Audis may well be in the mix. There are also some youngsters coming through with real ambitions. It's going to be a great show”.

Vehicle

BAHRAIN RAID XTREME

PRODRIVE HUNTER
BAHRAIN RAID XTREME

  • PRODRIVE
  • HUNTER
  • Prodrive
  • BRX
  • T1+: Prototype Cross-Country Cars 4x4

Ranking 2024

All news of S. Loeb

Summary - 19/01 17:53 [GMT +3]

Dakar 2024: Brabec and Sainz, masters of the dunes

The 46th edition of the Dakar, the 5th to be organised in Saudi Arabia, has finished after more than 4,700 kilometres of specials and a total distance of almost 8,000 kilometres, which tested the riders, drivers, co-pilots and crews, from the ancient city of AlUla to the shores of the Red Sea, passing through the oceans of dunes in the Empty Quarter. The major winners of the 2024...

Reactions - 19/01 12:52 [GMT +3] - Car

Sébastien Loeb: “At the end, it’s not too bad”

Sébastien Loeb has achieved a fifth podium finish out of eight appearances on the Dakar. Unfortunately, this time the BRX driver was once again unable to secure victory. Loeb won the final stage, his fifth success on this 2024 edition, but still had to make do with third place overall. It is a positive result, however, given that the Frenchman almost retired between Alula...

News - 19/01 10:22 [GMT +3]

Dakar 2024 - Stage 12 | All the results

RALLY GP | KEVIN BENAVIDES WINS THE LAST STAGE

Kevin Benavides has produced the best time on the last special. The winner of last year’s edition of the Dakar has picked up his third stage success of the year by 1 minute in front of his team-mate Toby Price and 1’14’’ ahead of his brother Luciano.

QUAD | NUMBER 2 FOR...

Summary - 18/01 18:48 [GMT +3]

Brabec and Sainz show who’s boss

FOCUS

The terrain proves decisive! With more than 4,700 kilometres of specials over two weeks of racing, it is still possible to predict where the victory will be won. The dunes of the Empty Quarter definitely played an important role, while the volcanic stones on the first stage also played a part. Indeed, we could list the damage recorded on each of the stages in one...

Reactions - 18/01 17:59 [GMT +3] - Car

Sébastien Loeb: “We thought that it was completely finished”

There was a big blow for Sébatien Loeb, who yesterday was back on the heels of Carlos Sainz. By unfortunately finishing 51st, 1 hour 23 minutes behind the Spaniard, who finished third on the penultimate stage, the Frenchman has lost any chance of winning his first Dakar. Second place remains within his grasp, however, as he is only 9 minutes behind Guillaume de Mevius.

...

Summary - 17/01 17:25 [GMT +3]

Dakar 2024 - Stage 10 | When the going gets tough, the tough get going

FOCUS

Fresh memories never lie. Seeing the loop carved out near AlUla, starting and finishing at the bivouac where everyone had gathered less than two weeks ago, it was a given that this special was going to be a wild ride. The timed sector stretched for 371 kilometres on sandy terrain with a need for speed, either on the track or off-track, sometimes through rocky areas,...

Reactions - 17/01 15:00 [GMT +3] - Car

Sébastien Loeb: "It's a bit frustrating"

The man in second place overall had his fair share of problems today, but he still managed to claw back time on Carlos Sainz and cut his deficit to just 13 minutes.

"It was a hard day for us. We had a problem with the [jack] of the car and we had two punctures, so we needed to climb the rocks to find a way to lift the rear tyre to be able to...

Summary - 16/01 17:14 [GMT +3]

Van Beveren and Loeb go on all-out attack

FOCUS

The expedition back to AlUla has surely brought back some memories. However, it was not a return to square one, because the situation has evolved considerably since the prologue. The return journey spared the competitors from the volcanic rocks, instead opting for the northern route from Al Duwadimi, which nevertheless shared some common ground with the previous...

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