Loeb's secret of success
Newly-crowned world champion Sebastien Loeb has admitted to Autosport that losing the title by a point to Petter Solberg last year was the catalyst for his phenomenal points during his 2004 campaign
Loeb's improved consistency culminated in him and his Citroen team wrapping up both championships with two rallies still to run.
The Frenchman said that missing out on the title last year forced him to rethink his approach to driving, and this year he has concentrated on being more consistent and making less mistakes. Loeb has consequently finished fourth or higher in every event he has completed in 2004, and he has only retired once.
"Work started towards this championship at the end of 2003," said Loeb. "Last year I was missing one point. Over the winter I was looking for that point and I could find it everywhere. I found it in Sanremo and Catalunya - lots of places where there had been little mistakes.
"This year that was not going to happen, I was going to make it good," he added.
Loeb also said that he played to his strengths this year, pushing on rallies he knew he could win, taking care to finish on events he thought would be tough.
"If we didn't think we could win then we wouldn't drive crazy," he explained. "I wouldn't go into a corner at a speed where perhaps I would go off the road. And if there was a risk with tyre choice, then we took the secure option.
"This consistency and reliability from the car, which has been incredible, has been our secret, but in my driving there is no secret."
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