Nine-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb has kept up his impeccable record of finishing somewhere on the podium at every final in the World Rallycross Championship this year. The Frenchman underlined his consistency as well as his speed at the wheel of the Peugeot 208 WRX. His 3rd place on the Silverstone podium helped the Team Peugeot Total driver to consolidate his runner-up spot in the championship.
Sébastien Loeb, the winner last time out in Belgium, had a consistent run throughout the weekend and highlighted his pace with a podium finish
With 2 second places in qualifying and a win in the semi-final, he put in another fighting performance in the 6-lap final after falling behind at the start, adding another hard-earned trophy to his collection: 4 podiums in 4 FIA World RX competitions so far this season.
Catch up with what our talented trio of @FIAWorldRX drivers, @SebastienLoeb @Timmy_Hansen @kevinhansen71, had to say after the final @SilverstoneUK #BornReady pic.twitter.com/6JU8DIEFVJ
— Peugeot Sport (@peugeotsport) May 27, 2018
“It was a great battle in the final. I had a bad start as there was a lot of grip and I nearly stalled the engine. So then I was sixth after the start and I needed to find a way to pass!”, Loeb commented.
“Luckily, I took the joker lap at just the right time and then that helped me to make up some places. So I think I had a really good final run, despite the really bad start! In six laps, there are not many opportunities to make up places if you have a problem. But I’m really happy, it’s our fourth podium in a row and it couldn’t be much better. The result, I think, could be a bit better for us here, but I’ve had a lot of fun all year: we have enjoyed fierce battles but really fair battles, and there are three manufacturers fighting so closely.”
Kevin Hansen was classified 6th in the final after an adventurous day
Nonetheless, it was an event where the Swedish youngster really turned a corner by making it into the final for the 1st time this year. Unfortunately, he picked up a puncture over the massive jump of Silverstone that deprived him of any result – but the team’s ‘junior’ showed plenty of speed and potential from start to finish.
Timmy Hansen had all the speed but none of the luck at Silverstone. A frontrunner from the very beginning of the weekend, showing his talent consistently throughout qualifying and even winning a heat on Saturday, the Swede was stopped in the semi-final by a puncture that meant he was able to go no further. Timmy is the only driver having won a heat in each of the 2018 World RX rounds so far.
Team Peugeot Total has now been on the podium with at least one car on every round of the championship
The squad currently stands 3rd in the Team Championship – just 1 point left behind 2nd while Sebastien Loeb secured his 2nd place on the Driver’s Championship.
“It’s good that we’re here with another podium and the speed is clearly there. The drivers and cars have been performing well, but obviously, we had a tricky final day, along with some other competitors. Finishing third is good, but finishing third when you had the chance to win is not that good! We need to look carefully into the cause of the punctures that affected both Timmy and Kevin today, which even deprived Timmy of a place in the final”, Peugeot Sport director Bruno Famin commented.
“It’s a shame as Timmy has won at least one race in every round so far, which shows his consistency everywhere. Kevin has also demonstrated his potential once more, as he did in Belgium, while Seb has delivered us another strong result. It’s very close between the top three teams but we’re right in the middle of that fight. So, in the end, we’re happy, after a nice weekend at the SpeedMachine Festival. We now go back to the factory, and we will have just one week to analyse and set up the car again for the next round.”
4️⃣ podiums en 4️⃣ épreuves ! @SebastienLoeb a continué sur sa lancée à @SilverstoneUK ?? ce week-end, décrochant la 3️⃣ème ? place grâce à un dépassement magnifique après un départ manqué en finale ! @FIAWorldRX @peugeotsport pic.twitter.com/OvR2au1uA7
— Total Racing (@TotalRacingFR) May 28, 2018
