Loeb could extend comeback
● Ex-champ leads in Mexico ● Team open to more rallies
SEBASTIEN Loeb could extend his planned three-event World Rally Championship comeback with Citroen to more events after the Frenchman led the recent Rally Mexico before a puncture dropped him to fifth place.
Speaking to the press after the rally, Citroen team principal Pierre Budar said: “We have an agreement for three rallies; this is the deal so far. We will go through this year and after Corsica and Spain we will have the opportunity to talk again, so let’s see what’s possible.
“But I don’t know any team manager in this service park who would not want this guy in their team full-time. It’s the same for us.”
Full-season Citroen driver Kris Meeke, who finished third in Mexico, is also keen for Loeb to contest more events with the squad. He said: “We’ve all been able to feed off the energy he’s come in with; it’s been so positive.
“We could be a very, very strong team if we could convince him to come back and do a bit more.”
Reflecting on his Mexico performance, Loeb commented: “Coming into the rally, I felt that testing had gone well, but I obviously had no certainty about my level, bearing in mind that everyone is fighting over tenths of a second, and that it doesn’t take much to find yourself left behind a little bit. So it was a nice surprise to be on the pace.
“I’m just a bit frustrated that I wasn’t able to test myself properly against the others right to the end because of the puncture. In any case, it was a very good weekend and that was the initial aim of this comeback.
“I hope I can now go on to get a good result in Corsica, even though I’ll still have quite a few things to refamiliarise myself with.” The ninetime world champion played down suggestions of doing more rallies, citing his FIA World Rallycross Championship commitments with Peugeot and saying that contesting the full World Rally Championship “wasn’t the plan” for the moment.
Loeb will be back at the wheel of the C3 WRC again at the series’ next round in Corsica on 7-8 April.