Heat is off Loeb
World championship leader Sebastien Loeb admits the pressure is off him on this weekend’s Rally Argentina.
The Frenchman is well on course for a third consecutive title heading into the season’s only South American rally, with nearest rival Marcus Gronholm 11 points adrift.
Loeb’s chances this weekend will be hampered tomorrow by starting first, which means he can expect to lose time as he sweeps gravel off the road.
Tomorrow’s stages will be crucial if the 32-year-old Citroen driver is to fight for a fourth consecutive victory, but he concedes another win is far from essential.
Loeb said: “The strategy is very simple – being first on the road we will have to drive flat out from the very first metre and clean the road for more than 110 kilometres.
“Marcus will start just behind me, and Petter Solberg will only have four cars in front of him.
“I hope that come Friday night the victory could still be possible. If that’s not the case, we will see. Three consecutive wins and a small cushion in the championship gives us a bit of clear air.”
Loeb won in Argentina for the first time last year and the Cordoba-based rally has earned a special place in the Frenchman’s heart.
He added: “Now I really love the rally and its public, the warmest of the championship I think.
“On the driving side I put Argentina in my top five rallies. The sensations are great and we take a lot a pleasure driving there.”
But Gronholm is hoping to restrict Loeb’s enjoyment of the dusty Argentinian stages by trimming the gap in the world championship.
The Ford driver has slipped off Loeb’s championship pace despite opening the season with two straight wins. Now he hopes to return to winning ways in Argentina and keep Loeb within sight.
“This is a rally that I know well,” he said.
“We have three gravel rallies in succession now and it is important that we do well in all of them.
“I need to close the gap on Sebastien Loeb in the drivers’ championship and I’m looking at the gravel events to do that.
“The car showed in Mexico that it is fast on the loose and I’m sure we will be quick in Argentina also.”
However, Gronholm’s aims could be frustrated by Petter Solberg, who is desperate to end Subaru’s disastrous run of form.
The former world champion only has one podium finish to his name this season after problems with his car, but he promises an end to Subaru’s hard luck story.
He said: “There will not be any excuses in Argentina. There won’t be any sitting back for anyone and I’m going to go for maximum attack from the start.
“There’s no strategy for this event other than this – we know what our goal is and we’re going to go flat out to get there.”
