Loeb aims low despite German victory

Despite his success on the German asphalt, Loeb knows that he is in more of an alien environment on the gravel sufaced, tree-lined jumps of Finland.

"Last year, after attacking as hard as possible during the second runs through those stages covered twice, I realised that I had some way to go before being on a par with the best," he admitted. "The Xsara has progressed, and that should make my job easier, but I must be realistic. I have cautiously set myself the objective of bringing back a few extra points from Finland.

"The jumps are difficult to judge. They all look the same as you approach them. Like a wall that rises up in front of you. After that, all you can see through the windscreen is sky. It's only after the crest that you get to see the 'landing strip' and find out whether or not you're on the right line!"

Despite his young star's inexperience of stages, Citroen motorsport chief Guy Frequelin is searching for an improved performance over last year.

"It's certainly the event in which we were the least competitive last year," said Frequelin. "This was for a variety of reasons we have since had time to analyse. The car has progressed, but will that be enough? This year's event will tell us. Sebastien has another year with the Xsara under his belt and we will be able judge what Carlos and Colin's experience of the terrain brings to the table."