Rally Japan: three questions to Sébastien Loeb

Let’s come back to your eighth consecutive victory in Germany. Are you going to reveal the secretsof your invincibility at last?

“There’s no magic potion! Work’s the secret. The team’s never rested on its laurels. Even if we know this event very well, we prepared for it down to the last tee. For example, we did some reconnoitering near the military camp to test the tyres’ durability on the long Panzerplatte stage. So I knew what rhythm to adopt to get a good performance out of my tyres without putting too much stress on them. Of course it’s true that I feel pretty good on this type of surface. Right from the opening stage I can push really hard and get to grips with the race. But, quite honestly, there’s no real secret.”

Japan is a big change. How do you feel about this rally?

“Well, I can’t say that the stages are my favourite part of the rally. What I like is the atmosphere, this feeling of being in another world for a few days. The spectators are really faithful fans and I recognize them from one year to the next. Thanks to the World Rally Championship, we can experience other cultures, and it’s a good thing to go to Japan even if we don’t race in the most beautiful landscapes of the archipelago.”

You are often asked where you would like to win the title. Some even insist on the fact that you should win number seven in France. What’s your opinion on this?

“I don’t think you choose the place where you’re going to win the title. All I want is to win as soon as possible and I’ll do everything to achieve this. If I’m in the lead and Sébastien Ogier is only sixth, I’m certainly not going to slow down to put off the date. There’s no sense in that. We work like crazy to obtain the best possible results. In any case, winning the title in Japan doesn’t depend on me alone but also on the positions of the other contenders. Let sport roll the dice!”