Loeb secures WRC Safari Rally return with M-Sport

The nine-time world champion has reached a deal to once again team up with the Ford squad for what will be a third outing of the season in Kenya (23-26 June).

It will mark the first time Loeb will compete in the iconic Safari Rally since finishing fifth driving for Citroen, 20 years ago in 2002 - the last WRC version of the event before a 19-year hiatus.

Confirmation that Loeb will tackle the Safari Rally arrives in the same week Toyota announced eight-time world champion Sebastien Ogier will also contest the event as part of his partial 2022 WRC campaign.

Ogier won last year’s revamped Safari Rally following its re-introduction to the WRC calendar.

Loeb is keen to bounce back from a difficult previous outing with M-Sport in Portugal last weekend, that resulted in retirement after crashing out of the lead on Friday followed by a terminal turbo issue on the Saturday.

The 48-year-old had indicated earlier this week that he would like to contest at least two more WRC rallies this year alongside his Extreme E and FIA World Rally-Raid Championship commitments.

“For sure it was nice to see we were competitive in Portugal with the Puma which was nice, it is good to know the Puma is very fast and competitive on gravel,” said Loeb, who will again be partnered by co-driver Isabelle Galmiche.

“Kenya is something very different to Portugal, I don’t know the current version of the rally, I have seen some videos of the stages which are very different, they appear to be rough with very big stones.

“Kenya is quite amazing; I think it’s the rally from where I have the most memories! At that time Kenya was very different, the longest stage was 120km long and we all had a helicopter over our cars announcing all the wildlife that we were approaching on the stage.

“Now it is very different and is more like a typical WRC rally, it is easier to do it this way but the difference for me compared to Portugal is I have no experience of these stages.

“It is always much more complicated when you arrive to a rally where you have never done the stages before, it will not make it easy but I am really happy to be going.”

Sébastien Loeb, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team

Photo by: McKlein / Motorsport Images

M-Sport will field four Pumas at the event with Loeb joined by regulars Craig Breen, Gus Greensmith and Adrien Fourmaux.

“The team is thrilled to have Seb and Isabelle back with us again, on what is one of the most iconic events of the season,” said team principal Richard Millener.

“This is only our second time back in Kenya since the event re-joined the WRC, and myself and the team are looking forward to returning with a four-strong fleet of Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1s.

“Seb obviously has a fantastic track record on gravel events, and his performance in Monte Carlo, and Portugal, while it lasted, showed us what both he and this car are capable of.

“With Safari Rally still a fairly new edition to the rally calendar, we have a pretty even playing field and think with Seb in the team we can really show everyone what the Puma can do.”