Sebastien Loeb - not as boring as Schuey?

Posted Oct 26th 2009 7:18AM by David Hobbs
Filed under: Sports/GTs, Motorsport, Racing cars

Sebastien Loeb sped to a muddy victory on the Rally of Great Britain on Sunday to claim his sixth successive World Rally Championship. Not bad but is it healthy?

The Citroen driver's 54th career WRC win further extended his record-breaking achievements in the sport and once again left fans and pundits alike wondering what his rivals need to do to beat him. For some time there has been criticism that Loeb has turned WRC into nothing more than a showcase for his talents as Michael Schumacher did with F1 - and fans have consequently turned off.

Fortunately, as evident by his comments after winnning in Wales, Loeb faced a serious threat in the shape of Ford driver Mikko Hirvonen, who only missed out on his first WRC title by a single point. The Finn is a serious contender gave Loeb a real run for his money but his challenge only really materialised once another of his countrymen, Marcus Gronholm, retired in 2007.

So where are the other potential world champions that could make Loeb look worriedly over his shoulder a bit more? Well, they're out there but because this is motorsport it comes down to cash and the manufacturers. With only Ford and Citroen fielding worksteams, the WRC is not looking too healthy in the long-term.

Compare that to the intercontinental Rally Challenge (recently won by Brit Kris Meeke) where there are seven official teams and there is clearly an issue. And that comes down to cost. The IRC may not have the clout of the WRC but it has some talented drivers and cheaper racing.

Admittedly, the WRC is preparing for imminent change in an effort to drive down costs but it needs to act fast if it, like Loeb, isn't to be overtaken by a new, younger upstart. Perhaps the new boss at the FIA, Jean Todt, himself a former WRC co-driver, might like to take a closer look at the issues than his predecessor ever really did.

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