The Loeb principle

Those wanting to become rally world champion first have to defeat Sébastien Loeb. Nobody has managed it since 2004. Loeb will be competing in his home-turf race at the Corsica Rally, again as WC leader – and for this there are seven good reasons.

With 44 victories and four world championship titles – the fifth just a few bends away – Frenchman Sébastien Loeb, 34, is one of the greats in motor sports. Comparable heroes have to be found outside rally sports. Loeb follows closely behind icon Michael Schumacher (85 wins, seven WC titles), Giacomo Agostini (122 wins, 15 motorcycle WC titles) or ‘King’ Richard Petty (200 wins, seven NASCAR titles). An analysis of Loeb’s victories shows that there is no secret recipe to his success behind his superiority, but rather a combination of skillfully used talents and focused professionalism.

1. His endurance of the tough French junior school of tarmac rallies

Tarmac is Sébastien Loeb’s clearly favored territory. He blazed his way through the French tarmac rallies, whose power density is unbelievably high in the junior ranks. Loeb celebrated his first WRC victory in Germany in 2002 – on tarmac. This was followed by 19 further victories on tarmac, a total of seven in Germany and five Monte Carlo. At the German rally in and around Trier no driver has managed to beat Sébastien Loeb.

2. His versatility

Tarmac may be Loeb’s favorite terrain, but he’s fast on every surface. Not even the Scandinavian rally strongholds are safe from him. In 2004 he won the Swedish Rally on snow as the first non-Scandinavian; in 2008 he celebrated his premiere victory in Finland. With that, he checked off one of the last un-conquered territories on his map of success. The only classic rally missing from his list of successes is the RAC – today the Wales Rally.

3. His spectacular but efficient driving

Where others amaze the crowds with drifts, Loeb cuts sharp lines through the bends. It may look less spectacular but he has proven that it makes him faster than his rivals.

4. His thirst for knowledge and desire to learn from others

In 2003, when Loeb teamed up with gravel freak Scotsman Colin McRae, he was already a rising star – but sill unpretentious enough to accept the 1995 world champion as his instructor. Colin explained the tarmac king how to drive fast on loose surfaces: ‘Use the throttle for steering ...’ He also took on board two tips given to him by Carlos Sainz, world champion in 1990 and 1992. Sainz, the fine-tuning tinkerer introduced Loeb to the art of chassis set up on gravel. Successfully. Loeb adapted this new knowledge to his individual driving style and subsequently also began winning on gravel.

5. Being in perfect harmony with his team

Sébastien Loeb stands for Citroen, and Citroen stands for Loeb. Since Citroen entered the WRC in 2001, Loeb has been driving their cars. For years Loeb was the protégé of Citroen sports director Guy Fréquelin. Sébastien commented on his long-time working relationship with Citroen: ‘In the beginning they gave me a chance, and we’ve developed together. I know how they work and think,’ and adds a French adage: ‘You know what you have, but you never know what you’re going to get.’

6. His blind trust in his co-pilot

Not only is Loeb completely loyal to his racing team, but also to his co-pilot. For over ten years Daniel Elena has been sitting in the passenger seat next to Loeb and providing him with reliable information about the upcoming bends.

7. Not letting mistakes shake him

Not even Sébastien Loeb is a perfect driver. More than once the Alsatian has reached the service park on three wheels with Daniel Elena hanging out the window like a jib sheeter. But Loeb puts his misfortunes behind him quicker than all other drivers, something also confirmed by Andreas Aigner: ‘When Loeb makes a mistake he’s back on top in the next bend, while someone else will off the pace for another three or four bends.’