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Loeb: Dream home win won't be easy

Sebastien Loeb says victory on next week's Rally of France would be a "dream come true" for the six-time champion

If Loeb does win on the event which finishes in Hagenau, the town in which he was born, he would clinch his 60th career World Rally Championship success, but, more significantly, he would take a seventh consecutive title.

To win the 2010 drivers' championship, Loeb needs one victory from the remaining three rallies - but he is keen to do it at home. Only fellow Citroen driver Sebastien Ogier and Ford's Jari-Matti Latvala can beat him.

"The ideal would be to clinch it as soon as possible," said Loeb. "Obviously, winning my 60th victory and my seventh world title at home would be the fulfillment of a dream."

Despite the fact that Loeb has not been beaten on a pure asphalt WRC round since 2004, he says he will be under big pressure in France.

"It's one hell of a lot of pressure," said Loeb. "Given my success rate on this kind of surface, everybody's expecting me to stroll home to an easy victory.

"But this rally won't be any easier than the others. Quite the opposite in fact, as it's a completely new event consisting of quick roads, which include most of the difficulties we normally meet on asphalt.

"This season, there are six drivers who are all capable of winning, so the overall level of the championship is very high and there's no way victory for me in this event is a foregone conclusion."

Citroen can also retain its manufacturers' world title in Alsace. The French firm currently holds a 95-point advantage over Ford. If Citroen leaves France with 86 points in hand over its nearest rival, a sixth title in eight years would be secured.

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