Rallye de France: three questions to Sébastien Loeb

First of all, let’s go back to Rally Japan where you scored your worst result of the season. Was this a disappointment?

“I start each rally with the aim of winning it, so there’s no way I can be happy with fifth place. But it doesn’t worry me overmuch as I’ve never been very competitive in Japan. I was quicker this year than two years ago, but the overall level of the championship is higher than it was then. The positive aspect is that we were able to score those few crucial points that enabled us to be masters of our destiny. If we win one of the three remaining rallies we’ll be world champion for the seventh time.”

The ideal would be to clinch the title in Rally France…

“Obviously, when you look at the way things stand, it could be a dream. Winning my sixtieth world championship victory in Hagenau and also my seventh title would be sheer magic! But to do this it’ll take more than just dreams and magic! I’ll have to be very quick against rivals whose motivation will be boosted a hundredfold. There’s going to be a lot of expectations on the part of all those present, and what’s at stake for Citroën is also very important. All that adds to the pressure. I’ll just have to cope with it - I have to say that I’m really looking forward to this rally.”

This rally is new, and you’re lucky enough to know the region well. What do you think of the route?

“I raced in several events in the region at the start of my career at the end of the nineties. The start of the Firstplan stage for example, corresponds to the very first stage that I competed in the 1997 Florival Rally. I remember the sectors of the Alsace-Vosges Rally pretty well, in particular near Chätas. Overall, the stages are very varied with wide quick sections followed by tight bumpy parts in the woods, in particular. On the other hand, I don’t know the Bitche military camp at all, but I don’t think it’ll be all that different to Baumholder in Germany.”