Paris Motors Show 2008 : Interview with Sébastien Loeb

Sébastien Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena as well as their team mates Dani Sordo and Marc Marti paid a visit to the Paris Motor Show to take a gander at the Citroën GT. The public waited patiently to get the chance to meet the four-time world rally champion. 

Motorstv.com sat down with the most successful rally driver of all time to talk about the Rally of Japan that he will head into with a 14-point lead from Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen. With two rounds to go a fifth title is looking likely for the Frenchman Loeb who talked about his 2008 season and the future whether it be in the WRC or elsewhere.

Will you be racing for the win or the title in Japan?

I will head to Japan thinking clearly about the championship. I know that if Mikko Hirvonen wins I will have to finish 3rd. I have looked at any other mathematical possibilities. I will base my driving on his pace but it won’t be easy. What is easy to do is to drive as fast as I can, worrying about anything else is too complicated. I will run my own pace and if that is good enough to win, all the better. If I am 4th I will need to accelerate. It is always a little frustrating not to compete for the win. Experience has taught me that it is better to sacrifice a win rather than risking it all in trying to win.
   
You have 10 wins from 13 starts, you have a 14 point lead over Mikko Hirvonen. This season seems to have been easier than others and Hirvonen doesn’t seem to be as difficult a competitor than Marcus Gronholm?

For sure Hirvonen isn’t as fast as Gronholm, with whom the battled was measured in tenths of seconds. 2007 was my finest season with an intense battle. Gronholm and I ran together. When we turned up at the circuits we were ahead of everyone. The reliability was there, we didn’t make mistakes and the level of competition was very high. Hirvonen has been racing as long as I have but he’s had a longer road of it. However, he improves each year and I think he will continue to progress for next year. This year, I got the satisfaction of beating him in Finland and this win was also important physiologically because it certainly stamped my authority on the championship.

You also competed in the Porsche Carrera Cup this year. Did you like this experience and do you see yourself competing in another series other than the WRC?
 
It was a terrific experience that I really liked doing. There was a lot of battling, it was quite tight. I like circuit racing, it is different and it posed a few questions because it is a different style of driving. Even if I don’t see myself driving in the Carrera Cup, nothing is decided in terms of circuit racing in the future. I know that in 2009 I will be with Citroën in the WRC.