The opening round of the FIA World Rally Championship will be the setting for the return of one of the most successful rally drivers in history. Nine times world rally champion Sebastien Loeb will tackle the Rallye Monte-Carlo in a Citroen DS3 WRC as a one-off appearance for the French team.
The Frenchman, who will be partnered by long term co-driver Daniel Elena, has won the famous event seven times already and has been nominated to score points alongside Northern Ireland’s Kris Meeke.
“When Citroën Racing offered me the chance to take part in this rally, it didn‘t take long to decide!” said Loeb.
“Monte-Carlo is held on French roads. I love the atmosphere and how close we get to our supporters. I’m also happy to get that special feeling back in the DS 3 WRC! On the first day of testing, I had to get back into the swing of things, but it all came back to me pretty quickly!
“My aim is to be competitive, but we have to remember that I haven’t driven in a rally at this level for over a year. Every time I start a race, I give it my best shot. It’ll be no different this time and if we can fight for the win, so much the better!”
Citroen Racing Team Principle, Yves Matton said the return of Loeb and Elena adds an extra incentive to the season opener.
“Monte-Carlo is a very important rally for Citroën Racing. The context at the start of the season, with the one-off return of Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, makes it all the more special!
“We know that they will come under great scrutiny and that just the fact of being here will cause a stir.”
Rallye Monte-Carlo gets underway Thursday 22 January and theCheckeredFlag.co.uk will have full coverage throughout the event.
