However, having not competed in the WRC since the Rallye de France-Alsace in 2013 – the last of four ‘wild-card’ events he participated in that year – Loeb will be given the chance to get reacquainted with his DS3 WRC on the 2015 curtain raiser in Monte Carlo.
Though his return is stressed as a one-off having committed to the WTCC for 2015 – where he also races with Citroen -, Loeb’s return sets up a relishing head-to-head with VW’s Sebastien Ogier, winner of last year’s Monte Carlo Rally and the new dominant force in WRC following his countryman’s departure.
“I didn’t hesitate for a second when I was offered the chance to compete at the opening round of the 2015 World Rally Championship in the DS 3 WRC. I think Daniel and I would agree that Monte-Carlo is one of our favourite events. The beautiful roads, the fact of having to gamble when it comes to tyre choice and the party atmosphere that you get on the stages: we can’t wait to experience it all again!
“With the DS 3 WRC – “the little racer” as I nicknamed it when it was first released – I have a lot of good memories; I hope that the 2015 Rallye Monte-Carlo will provide yet another. Obviously, it’s going to be a personal challenge for me, as I haven’t competed in a rally for over a year.
“A few days from now, I’m going to take part in the Rallye du Var and that will give me the chance to reacquaint myself with the car. We have also ma naged to find a few available slots in my schedule so I can take part in testing. I’m absolutely delighted about this opportunity to meet up with the big rallying family during the FIA WTCC off-season!”
Even so, Ogier has a long way to go to matching Loeb’s exemplary record on the iconic Monte Carlo event, the Frenchman being beaten just once in his last eight appearances there. Loeb’s most recent success came in 2013 as part of his sporadic campaign, winning by more than a minute and a half over Ogier.