With the Rallye de France coming up, we take a wander through the A-Z of local boy Sebastien Loeb
A is for Alsace
The region of France where Sebastien grew up and where the Rallye de France is held.
B is for Banzet
Or Frederic Banzet, Citroen’s General Manager, who came up with the immortal line: “Citroen without Loeb would be like Paris without the Eiffel Tower.”
C is for Corsica
The rally where in 2005, Sebastien won every single stage in the most dominant victory ever seen.
D is for Dominique Heinz
A local businessman from Alsace who bankrolled Sebastien’s early career. “Without Dominique I wouldn’t be here now,” says Sebastien. “It’s as simple as that.”
E is for Elena
Daniel Elena has been Sebastien’s co-driver since they started competing together in 1997.
F is for French Rally Championship
Sebastien won that too of course, with the all-conquering Xsara Kit Car in 2001.
G is for Guy Frequelin
Known as “Grizzly” on account of his bear-like stature, Frequelin was Citroen team principal until his retirement in 2007. It was he who spotted the potential in Loeb and brought him into the factory team, acting more like a father figure than a team boss to the young Sebastien.
H is for Hagenau
Sebastien’s hometown and the place where he clinched the 2010 championship on the Rallye de France, which concluded with a Super Special Stage there. “I don’t cry much – but that was one occasion,” he said.
I is for Italy
Sebastien made his Citroen Xsara WRC debut on the 2001 Sanremo Rally, where he finished an astonishing second overall behind asphalt legend Gilles Panizzi. A star was born.
J is for Junior World Rally Championship
Sebastien first broke onto the WRC scene when he won the Junior World Rally Championship in 2001 with a Citroen Saxo Super 1600.
K is for Kronos
When Citroen pulled out of the World Rally Championship at the end of 2005, Loeb drove one season as a privateer with Belgian team Kronos Racing in 2006. And he won the championship again, the last privateer ever to do so.
L is for Le Mans
On his first attempt at the endurance classic, in 2005, he nearly won the race. On his second attempt, in 2006, he finished second. Enough said.
M is for mountain bike
Sebastien fell off one at the end of the 2006 season, breaking the ball joint in his shoulder in four places. Despite missing four rallies at the end of the year, he was still champion.
N is for nine
If – or rather when – Sebastien wins the championship this year, it will be his ninth consecutive WRC crown: a practically unbeatable record. And he’s all set to do it this weekend on home territory.
O is for odd
That’s how Sebastien reckons he was as a teenager. “All my friends were out partying and chasing girls,” he remembers. “I always stayed at home fiddling with cars and bikes. They must have thought I was a bit strange…”
P is for Peugeot
Although Sebastien is inextricably linked with Citroen, his first rally car was actually a Peugeot 106. A Peugeot 205 GTI was also one of his first road cars.
Q is for queuing…
…airport lounges, long trips and so forth, all the things that Sebastien hates about rallying – which may mean he only does a part-time programme next year. Watch this space.
R is for racing
Sebastien also has a racing team, Sebastien Loeb Racing, which competes in the French Porsche Carrera Cup and in the European Le Mans Series with an LMP2 car. Their ambition is to compete at Le Mans.
S is for Severine
Sebastien’s loyal wife, a burgeoning TV star, and also the driving force behind the Sebastien Loeb fan club.
T is for Toro Rosso
After testing a Red Bull F1 car with spectacular results at the end of 2008, he was being lined up for a switch to Formula One in 2009 with Red Bull’s junior team. Sadly, the powers that be didn’t grant him a super licence.
U is for uniform
If Sebastien should ever have cause to wear ceremonial dress, he’s got a decoration to put on it. In 2009 he was awarded the Legion d’Honneur: France’s highest civilian honour.
V is for Valentine
Sebastien’s young daughter who is a familiar sight on rallies. “I think she is the person who makes me laugh most in the whole world,” he says. “She’s always funny without even trying to be, which makes a nice change when you sit next to Daniel [Elena] for so long!”
W is for wine
Sebastien has a keen interest in viticulture and his idea of a perfect evening is a rib of beef and a good bottle of red wine.
X is for X Games
Sebastien Loeb took part in the X Games in California this year with a specially modified Citroen DS3. Naturally, he won the rallycross section – another trophy for the collection.
Y is for “why not?”
It’s Sebastien’s stock answer to many of the questions put to him: particularly “do you think you can win again?”
Z is for Zero
The point where Sebastien was at many years ago when he had crashed his first rally car one time too many. “I was really ready to stop then as I had no money left,” he said. “But I am glad I decided to carry on…”