Loeb addresses crucial Dakar Rally change

The Dakar Rally is about to begin again. It promises to be a real battle of attrition in the desert of Saudi Arabia, including a few well-known snags. 

For example, the gruelling 48-hour marathon stage will be held as early as the third official day, so the differences between them could be large early on. After all, last year a lot of top favourites lost a lot of time.

Sebastien Loeb, however, knows what it's like to win the two-day stage. The Frenchman did so last year and is once again among the favourites for the overall victory for Dacia. 

But will the early marathon stage make for a different strategy? Loeb argues not in an interview with RacingNews365.

"No, it doesn't change the approach," Loeb says. "Of course you know not to get into trouble during the marathon 48-hour stage. But we can't really change anything except that you take a little less risk, especially on the first day. 

"On the other hand, halfway through the rally you do know who is still competing and who lost everything in the first week. It's going to be a tough opening. When I saw how the first week is put together, I knew we shouldn't be too aggressive. 

"At the same time, we saw in the last Dakar that the difference between the number one and two is not always very big. 

"It's important to drive smart, not to lose a lot of time and not to take too many risks."

Second big change

The 50-year-old does, however, think another new change is crucial. The motorcycles and cars will run separate routes in as many as five of the 12 stages.

It means the first car will be unable to take advantage of the motorcycle tracks and use it for navigation. Loeb is in the dark about the much-discussed adjustment.

"That's going to make a big difference from the past," Loeb reasoned. "The first car could be slow if you compare it to the seven to 10 cars behind it, also depending on the terrain. 

"It becomes more of a lottery, partly because we saw in the Rally of Morocco that it is close together in terms of speed of the different cars. The new rules make for an open rally, allowing anyone to potentially win. It's different, but hopefully it will be interesting." 

Loeb has now been working with navigator Fabian Lurquin for a while. Is that another advantage?

"It becomes important how you approach the rally," added Loeb. "Together we are starting to gain good experience now. 

"But if you see that Carlos Sainz Sr. has been working with his navigator for a long time and Nasser Al-Attiyah is doing well with his new navigator, I don't know if it will be an advantage. It's wide open."

The Frenchman is already referring to his team=mate Al-Attiyah, while the fast Cristina Gutierrez also joined Dacia. 

The strong lineup helps in understanding the new Sandrider, Loeb explained: "It's good for the development of the car, especially when you can share things with someone like Nasser, who has incredible experience in the desert. 

"It's always nice when I have a certain feeling about a new part or a new suspension and he confirms it. We are thinking the same thing for now and will start the Dakar Rally with completely the same set-up, even in terms of clicks of the suspension. 

"Maybe something will change in the stages, but we all agreed that this is the best for the car. This is a good starting point."

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Competition

Loeb knows who his biggest competitors are for the overall win. "We know Toyota is normally strong with the cars, but I don't know if the drivers can fight for the overall victory," assessed Loeb. 

"You never know, although I think Al-Attiyah and Sainz Sr. are my biggest competitors. Also Mattias Ekstrom is capable of great things."

Then a smile follows on Loeb's face, who also mentions the MINIs. "Then we also have the MINIs, which were very strong in Morocco," he pointed out. "As I said, it's wide open. Guillaume De Mevius has not had many big wins in his career, but we saw in Morocco that he is strong. 

"He rode consistently and fast, so I don't know. Still, Carlos and Nasser are my biggest rivals."

A podium finish is the minimum target for the rallying legend, although his eyes are on the big prize.

"A victory would be nice," Loeb continued. "A podium finish is always nice in the Dakar, but I already have a few behind my name. 

"My main goal is victory, depending on how things go during two weeks. Sometimes you can be happy with a podium finish. That's the minimum I hope for, but we'll try to fight for victory."