GERMANY/FILE: MOTOR RALLYING: World rally champion Sebastien Loeb unhappy with season so far

Record ID: 862804

  • Title: GERMANY/FILE: MOTOR RALLYING: World rally champion Sebastien Loeb unhappy with season so far
  • Date: 10th September 2013
  • Summary: FRANKFURT, GERMANY (SEPTEMBER 10, 2013) (REUTERS) LOEB'S CAR ON DISPLAY AT FRANKFURT CAR SHOW
  • Embargoed: 25th September 2013 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Germany
  • City:
  • Country: Germany
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVAB1P2R5BI44II1888RR17LDCEL
  • Aspect Ratio:
  • Story Text: Citroen's nine-times world rally champion Sebastien Loeb said at the Frankfurt car show on Tuesday (September 10) that he was so far not too happy with his achievements this year.
    "We lost a lot of points and we are not in the fight anymore for the championship. But the good point is that we were always very fast in the qualifying, first and second all the time in the four first races," the Frenchmen told Reuters in an interview.
    "We were disqualified for different things and it was always a bit complicated. We were not so lucky but the main thing is that I drove there to take experience, to prepare my future in racing."
    Loeb will race on circuits next season in the FIA World Touring Car championship (WTCC), the French manufacturer said in June.
    Loeb is not contesting the world rally title this year, opting instead for a limited programme of events, and he is eager to return to full time racing.
    Asked whether he missed the regular world rally championship circuit since he only entered a few events this year, Loeb said "I had enough things to do and I don't miss the rally. I'm happy to have this new possibility, a new goal with Citroen to go into the WTCC."
    Loeb also has no plans to retire any time soon, he said.
    "I am going now in a new discipline with a nice motivation. I think I will go for some years, except if I feel I'm not competitive and I have no chance to win. Then maybe I'll retire one day. But at the moment, I have no plan," said Loeb.
    The 39 year-old Frenchman is the most successful rally driver in history, with a record nine consecutive rally championship titles.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register