Being cheered on by nearly 75,000 fans will spur a man! For the only French event of the World Rallycross Championship, held in Lohéac, Sébastien Loeb intended to carry on his run of podiums, after three consecutive excellent results in Norway, Sweden, and Canada in early August. Encouraged by the Breton spectators’ enthusiasm, the Frenchman signed a perfect first day of racing, including a victory in Q2, placing him in the provisional lead. The following day, under sheets of rain making the exercise particularly complicated, the Team Peugeot-Hansen driver proved both his capacity to adapt, and his grand form of the moment; and only Johan Kristoffersson at his best managed to steal the show at the end of the qualifying heats. Nevertheless, the Alsatian did not give up: second in his semi-final, he repeated the performance in the final, climbing on his fifth podium of the season and closing in yet more on the third place of the Championship.
“It was really enjoyable to fight for the first spots regardless of the weather conditions this weekend,” Sébastien rejoiced on the finish line. “It’s also lovely to be able to gift this podium finish to the French public, who showed up to support me despite the heavy rain on Sunday! On Saturday in the dry weather, my Peugeot 208 WRX was absolutely perfect on this track with a strong grip, and it was a literal joy driving her. On the wet track, we continued playing at the front, but I made a small error in the semi-final which without a doubt cost me a first line spot on the final starting grid, and Johan Kristoffersson’s VW Polo was again a tad faster. It was a beauty of a race, and I’m especially pleased with my starts throughout the event. This encourages us to pursue our efforts to progress some more and try to reach this third place in the Championship.”
The next Championship event will see the nine-times World Rally Championship winner and rallycross convert head to Latvia (September 15th-17th), where he reigned supreme last year in wet conditions. First, however, Sébastien Loeb is expected next weekend by the Alsatian fans on the slopes of the Turckheim – 3 Épis race, where he will give demonstration performances with his Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak, as well as his Peugeot 306 Maxi and Citroën C4 WRC.
RESULTS:
LOHEAC RX:
1. Johan Kristoffersson (VW Polo GTI)
2. Sébastien Loeb (Peugeot 208 WRX)
3. Mattias Ekström (Audi S1 Quattro)
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CHAMPIONSHIP STANDINGS:
1. Johan Kristoffersson (VW Polo GTI) 241 pts
2. Petter Solberg (VW Polo GTI) 195 pts
3. Mattias Ekström (Audi S1 Quattro) 180 pts
4. Sébastien Loeb (Peugeot 208 WRX) 169 pts