Sebastien Loeb is going to 2019 Dakar Rally as Red Bull privateer

Sebastien Loeb revealed today that he will compete at 2019 Dakar Rally as a privateer in a Red Bull-sponsored and PH Sport-prepared Peugeot 3008DKR.

A few days ago it was announced that Sebastien Loeb will reveal his plans for a future today. Following Peugeot’s withdrawal from Dakar Rally and World Rallycross Championship and his recent win in the Spanish WRC round, many fans were praying for Loeb’s return to the World Rally Championship with Citroen. But, for now, Loeb announced only a commitment for Dakar Rally and said nothing about WRC.

Loeb’s participation at 2019 Dakar Rally will be his fourth in the world toughest cross-country race. In the previous three attempts, all three with Peugeot cars, Loeb’s best result was the second place in 2017. At 2019 edition, he and navigator Daniel Elena will compete in a Peugeot 3008DKR similar to the one that they had in 2017. The car will be run by independent French team PH Sport.

Sebastien Loeb finished second at 2017 Dakar Rally

“I couldn’t go with the wider 3008DKR Maxi from this year due to the latest regulations, so we go with the 2.20m wide car from the year before, maybe with a few small evolutions on the engine similar to this year,” Loeb said.

“Throughout my career I’ve always been considered to be a favourite. While I’m obviously motivated by winning, having fun is important too, so taking part in the 2019 Dakar with Daniel, as private outsiders, is a fantastic challenge. I’m ready to give it a go: a little bit like my three WRC appearances this year, where success was far from being guaranteed.

I like the dunes, but the key thing will be not to get stuck. This is what I will work on during my test and there will also be some work for Daniel too, as navigation in the dunes is really tricky. I only made the decision to go to Dakar again at the last minute, but I’m still hungry for the win. We’re probably lacking some preparation compared to the others: equally I didn’t forget everything I learned over the last three years. It’s an adventure that I’m looking forward to experiencing again,” Loeb added.