Frequelin: Loeb can win more
Citroen motorsport boss Guy Frequelin believes Sebastien Loeb, who clinched the world title in last weekend's Rallye de France, is capable of even more WRC championships if Citroen provide him with a winning car
Loeb secured the title after bringing his car home second to Ford's Markko Martin in Corsica on Sunday, with a 30 point lead and just two rallies left of the season the Frenchman cannot be caught.
Consistency and reliability has been the key to Loeb's campaign with five wins and just one retirement all season. The Xsara has been on top form this year, but the introduction of the new Citroen C4 WRC contender towards the end of 2005 is what could upset the Frenchman's form.
"When I discovered Sebastien, he did a good job and showed he had talent," Frequelin said. "From then on I had plenty of hopes for him, to the point that whenever they asked me if I was surprised by what he achieved, I replied no, because I had set the bar very high in terms of my hopes for him.
"I think that he has the potential to win a number of titles, but these things are always difficult to predict. It depends on the car. You need a good driver, a good co-driver, a good team and a good car. I hope that we'll be able to give him a car worthy of his talents."
Loeb went into last weekend's rally intent on clinching the title rather than taking rally glory by winning his home event. Now that the championship is decided the Frenchman admits he will be going all out to add to his tally of wins this year. Two more wins this season in Spain and Australia would bring his total to seven wins this year, the most since Didier Auriol in 1992.
"Now there is no reason not to try to win," Loeb said. "We will try to win in Catalunya for sure, but it won't be easy. We saw [Ford's] Markko Martin and Francois Duval were very fast here in Corsica. I had a big fight with Markko in Catalunya last year, so it could be interesting."
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