“I’ve rarely done such a bad stage. »The nine WRC World Rally Championship titles do not protect Sébastien Loeb (Bahrain Raid Xtrem) from the galleys on the Dakar 2021 (January 3-15). Quite the contrary. On the dusty roads of Saudi Arabia, surveyed by the competitors for the second edition, the Alsatian, accompanied by his faithful co-driver Daniel Elena, chained the problems.
In the space of 277 kilometers of special, from Jeddah to Bisha, the 46-year-old driver suffered three punctures. “The ground was broken up, hell to ride, the stones were immense”, analyzed the former Citroën driver at the end of this first stage, finished in 22nd position, 24’14 behind the lead.
A three-hour “galley”
“I did not have a lot of fun but I expected worse in terms of the delay, relativized the French champion. I felt like I was wasting an hour. It was a hassle for about three hours. “
Overall, Loeb and Elena occupy 22nd place, 23’55 behind the leader Carlos Sainz, defending car champion. In four participations, Sébastien Loeb has failed to delight the most prestigious of rally-raids.
He has two podiums in the event (2nd in 2017, 3rd in 2019) when the event was held in South America. This is the first time that the native of Haguenau has participated in the race in Saudi Arabia. Last year, he made the deadlock to devote himself to the Monte-Carlo WRC rally. On Monday, the competitors will leave Bisha to reach Wadi ad-Dawasir (457 kilometers of special). The opportunity to redeem themselves for the Franco-Monegasque tandem.
