More than any other motorsport discipline, rallycross requires a commitment to staying on the front line, as every event of a meeting grants points. For the sixth event of the World Rallycross Championship in Hell, Norway, Sébastien Loeb once more proved his commitment on the rainy Saturday as well as the drying Sunday. After manoeuvering to a fifth position at the end of the qualifying heats, the Team Peugeot Hansen driver acceded to his fourth final of the year. In the process, he’d first brilliantly negotiated his semi-final, despite starting from the second line. It is also from the second line that the Alsatian launched into the final race, but a bullet-fast start allowed him to sneak past Mattias Ekström, the reigning world champion. Closing the door on him at the first hint of a brake, he climbed onto the podium (3rd) for the second time of the season, after his second place in Montalegre, Portugal. This performance confirms his regularity and allows him to remain in his position as an outsider contender for this championship.
“I’m really happy to once more get the opportunity to crack open a champagne bottle after a good fight!” rejoiced Sébastien after the end of the race. “Recently, I had to face near misses instead of podiums. Once again, I gave everything, each confrontation was truly tough, so I’m particularly pleased to have been able to stand up to Mattias Ekström in the final. He’s a tough customer! This third place is a beautiful reward for all the effort the team has put in, to give me the best possible 208 WRX. Our opponents, especially Volkswagen, set an infernal pace, so we’re aware that we need to keep working to raise our game even higher. We’ve identified working points and we’ll stick to them during another testing session planned before the next race.”