“We are close to the goal”
The modest approach that Sébastien Loeb took in his new challenge in 2016 matched his inconspicuous and reserved personality. But once he strapped into his Peugeot 2008 DKR for his maiden Dakar, his talent spoke for itself. Right from the first ‘real’ special stage, he showed why he is the greatest driver in rally history. His sense for the racing line was a major asset on the WRC type tracks in Argentina and Loeb brought the French firm another stage victory the following day. He then found himself leading the Dakar general classification at the end of the opening week. But things then took a different turn. On a dune sector on the Belen stage, the Alsace native made a mistake and rolled his car. On this day, his rally-raid learning curve was dealt a blow, but it wasn’t enough discourage him. He went on to win a fourth stage and finish 9th overall. In 2017, the progress of the Loeb and long-time co-drive Daniel Elena put them in a position to battle Stéphane Peterhansel for the win just until the day before the arrival. But on the tracks where drove some of his greatest stages in the WRC, near Cordoba, his chance for victory was dashed by a simple puncture when the two minutes that separated him from ‘Peter’ seemed possible to make up. Entered in the Silk Way Rally and the Morocco Rally during the season, Loeb still hasn’t taken his first rally-raid victory. But he has come very close!
S.L.: “I am very satisfied with the speed with which we have adapted to this discipline, even though we still need to be more consistent in order to turn into a win. All throughout the year (the 2017 Dakar, Silk Way Rally and Morocco Rally), we have proven that we are among the best and we are close to the goal. That is to say, we have only done six rally-raids and clearly we still lack a bit of experience compared to the others…The Peugeot 3008DKR was an excellent car but, as drivers, we keep asking for more performance. The Peugeot Sport engineers have pushed the limits with the new 3008DKR Maxi. It is not only reliable but also capable of going everywhere. It is a delight to drive, I feel really confident to push. It has improved, as have Daniel and I in all areas. The Dakar is, by definition, unpredictable and we have a very good chance to win it this year.”
Television Publica Argentina - Argentina
