“I am still hungry for success”

He looked haggard, disappointed in having dropped out of the rally after just five stages. Last year, at the Arequipa bivouac in Peru, Sébastien Loeb retired for the first time in three Dakar participations, his last with the Peugeot Sport team. Before returning to France he confided with a wink in his eye that “Carlos Sainz has won the Dakar at the age of 50, and I am only 43, anything is still possible.” However, with the withdrawal of Peugeot his rally-raid future was a bit cloudy. Yet, to the surprise of everyone, the rally legend announced he would be back this year. Now as a privateer, he will be behind the wheel of the same 3008 DKR that he won five stages and finished runner-up with in 2017. This year, with a shortened preparation time, the nine-time world rally champion will once again take on the taxing Peruvian dunes, where he retired last year. But Loeb is not the type of guy to back down from a challenge, as was the case this year with his three runs in the WRC and his victory in Spain this past October, his first rally win in five years. Sébastien Loeb still knows how to win and will be keen to prove it on this year’s Dakar.

“To take part in this 2019 Dakar with Daniel is a fantastic challenge. I am ready for the adventure, as I was in my three appearances in the WRC this year. This year, I am with a privateer team. Taking the rules changes into consideration, I could not drive this year’s 3008. So, we will be in the 2017 version that will have an engine with a few of the 2018 changes. Obviously, there will be some new cars racing against us. We have no idea how competitive we will be. Several teams will have a shot at winning and I hope we are one of them. I like the dunes. We will probably be less prepared than our rivals, but I haven’t forgotten everything I have learned these past three years. I am still hungry for success!”