Sebastien and Severine Loeb returned to rallying and scored a three-minute win on this weekend’s Rallye du Var in France.The nine-time World Rally Champion and his wife led from the start and won seven of the nine completed stages to take victory in a Citroen DS3 WRC. Three of the stages in the French Alps were cancelled over the weekend.
The Loebs maintained their exceptional record together and remain unbeaten as a crew since this event in 2008, where they were driving a Citroen C2 S1600. They have won their last five rallies together. And this one was never really in doubt.
Leading after the first stage, Ford Fiesta RS WRC driver Julien Maurin was the only man capable of remaining vaguely in contention, but when the Loebs doubled a 15 second lead on the penultimate stage of day one, they were pretty much out of sight.
They were definitely out of sight when Maurin’s Ford failed to reach the end of the day.
Quickest on three day two stages – including an exceptional time 54.5 seconds faster than anybody through the 35.88km finale – the lead stood at just over three minutes at the finish.
Rusty from a season in circles, Loeb’s speed through the mountains above the French Riviera gives the rest of the world championship runners plenty to think about ahead of his WRC return in Monte Carlo in January.