Why Rally de France can't survive without Loeb
Sebastian Loeb's early exit from Rally de France was a big blow for him, but also for his fans and for the event itself. David Evans explains why this year's rally showed France needs more than legend to keep the event alive in the future
C'est parti pour trois jours de liesse. Last Friday morning, the message was clear and simple: the people of Alsace were ready and waiting for the return of the master. And the master, Sebastien Loeb, was ready conquer.
Share Or Save This Story
More from David Evans
The outrageous mountain-climbers that became Pikes Peak legends
Ranking lost WRC legend Richard Burns' 10 best rallies
What to expect from the WRC's venture to the Arctic
Autosport 70: How Richard Burns scaled the WRC mountain
Colin McRae's 10 greatest rallies ranked
Autosport 70: A world rally legend says goodbye?
Watch: The champions of rallying's craziest decade
FIA reveals 'Rally Star' prize scheme to find next WRC champion
Latest news
Ogier explains Power Stage roll, given €30k suspended fine for opening stage comments
Bagnaia slashes Martin deficit of Aragon crash with Misano runner-up finish
Acropolis WRC victory a “big release of pressure” for Neuville
Martin takes blame for costly Misano bike swap call
Autosport Plus
How Lancia's WRC trailblazer became a cult classic
How Rally Finland produced a rollercoaster of emotions to match its roads
How a future WRC star and bizarre moments overshadowed Rovanpera's latest drubbing
The enduring power of Prodrive at 40
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.