Sébastien Loeb facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sébastien Loeb
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Loeb at the 2014 FIA WTCC Race of Japan
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| Born | 26 February 1974 Haguenau, France
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| Nationality |  French |
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Sébastien Loeb (born 26 February 1974) is a famous French professional rally, racing, and rallycross driver. He is known as the most successful driver in the World Rally Championship (WRC). He won the world championship an amazing nine times in a row!
Loeb holds many WRC records. These include the most event wins, most podium finishes, and most stage wins. He stopped racing full-time in the WRC at the end of 2012. Today, he races part-time in the WRC for M-Sport Ford World Rally Team. He also competes full-time in the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) for Bahrain Raid Xtreme.
Sébastien Loeb was first a gymnast. He was a four-time champion in Alsace, France. He also won one French Grand East championship. He started rallying in 1995. In 2001, he won the Junior World Rally Championship.
The Citroën World Rally Team signed him for the 2002 season. He and his co-driver Daniel Elena won their first WRC race that year. It was at the Rallye Deutschland in Germany. In 2003, he almost won the championship, finishing second by just one point. But in 2004, Loeb won his first WRC title. He continued with Citroën and won a record nine world titles in a row until 2012.
Loeb is very good at racing on tarmac (paved roads). He won almost every WRC rally on tarmac between 2005 and 2013. In 2018, he won the Spanish round of the championship. This was a special win, as he was not a full-time WRC driver anymore.
Loeb first raced in the Dakar Rally in 2016. He has raced in it every year since, except for 2020. His best finish was second place in 2017, 2022, and 2023. He has also won the Race of Champions five times. He was named the French Sportsman of the Year in 2007 and 2009. He also became a knight of the Legion of Honour in 2009.
In 2012, Loeb won the rallycross final at X Games XVIII. That same year, he started his own racing team, Sébastien Loeb Racing. His team competes in different racing series. In 2013, he raced in the FIA GT Series for his team. He won four races and finished fourth overall.
In 2014 and 2015, he raced in the World Touring Car Championship. He won six races and finished third overall in both seasons. From 2016 to 2018, he also raced in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. He won two races and finished fourth overall.
In 2021, Loeb tested the Ford Puma Rally1 car. He then joined the M-Sport Ford WRT for part-time racing in the 2022 WRC season. He won his 80th WRC race at the 2022 Monte Carlo Rally. This happened just a week after he finished second at the 2022 Dakar Rally. Loeb also won the 2022 Extreme E Championship with Cristina Gutiérrez. They raced for Lewis Hamilton's Team X44.
Loeb has also competed in other types of racing. These include the GT World Challenge Europe, Porsche Supercup, 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Andros Trophy. He is the only driver to win an event in four different world championships run by the FIA. He achieved this after winning the Andalucía Rally in 2022.
Contents
Sébastien Loeb's Racing Journey
Starting Out in Racing
Sébastien Loeb first competed as a gymnast. He was very good, winning four championships in Alsace and one in French Grand East. He even placed fifth in the French national championship. In 1992, he left school but went back in 1994 to study electrical engineering. He also started working as an electrician. His boss was a fan of speed, which helped Loeb.
In 1995, at 21, he decided to focus only on racing. In 1998, he started racing in the French Citroën Saxo Trophy series. He won the title in 1999. Guy Fréquelin, the boss of Citroën Sport, became his mentor. In 2001, Loeb joined the Junior World Rally Championship. He became the first champion of this series, winning five out of six events. He even finished second in a WRC race that year, which was a big surprise for a new driver.
Becoming a World Rally Champion
The 2002 season was Loeb's first as a WRC driver with the Citroën Total World Rally Team. He almost won the Monte Carlo Rally that year. But he got a penalty for an illegal tire change and finished second. Later, he got his first WRC win at the Rallye Deutschland in Germany.
In 2003, his first full season, Loeb won three WRC events. These were Monte Carlo, Germany, and Sanremo. He lost the championship by just one point to Petter Solberg. Loeb became very well-known because he beat his more experienced teammates, Carlos Sainz and Colin McRae.
In 2004, Loeb completely dominated the WRC. He won six events and finished second in six others. This gave him the drivers' title by a large margin. His six wins tied the record for most wins in one season. He also helped Citroën win their second team championship in a row.
Loeb was known for being great on tarmac. But in 2004, he showed he could win on other surfaces too. He won the snowy Swedish Rally, being the first non-Nordic driver to do so. He also won on gravel in Cyprus, Turkey, and Australia.
In 2005, Loeb made history by winning six rallies in a row. This broke a record from 1985. He also became the first to win seven rallies in a single season. He won the championship by a huge 56-point lead, breaking another old record. Loeb also set a record by winning all twelve stages in the 2005 Tour de Corse in France. This was the first time a driver had won every stage of a WRC rally.
Citroën took a break from WRC in 2006. Loeb raced for a private team called Kronos Racing. He finished second in the first two rallies. But then he won five races in a row. He tied Carlos Sainz's record of 26 rally victories. Then, by winning in Japan, he broke the world record with 27 wins.
Later in 2006, Loeb broke his arm in a mountain-biking accident. He missed the last four rallies of the season. But he had such a big lead in points that he still won the 2006 championship by one point! He heard the news at home, which he called "strange."
In 2007, Loeb returned to Citroën with their new car, the Citroën C4 WRC. He won the first race, the 75ème Rallye Automobile de Monte-Carlo. He won four more rallies early in the season. He had some crashes and lost the lead in points for a while. But he fought back. He won in Germany, Spain, and France. After a dramatic race in Ireland, he took the lead again. On 2 December 2007, Loeb became World Rally Champion for the fourth time in a row.
Loeb started 2008 with a record fifth win in Monte Carlo. He had a crash in Jordan but recovered. He then won five events in a row, including the 2008 Rally Finland. This was only the fourth time a non-Nordic driver won that rally. His teammate Dani Sordo also finished second three times in a row.
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Before the last two races, Loeb was 14 points ahead. He finished third in Japan, which was enough to win his fifth world title. This broke the record for most rally titles. After winning the championship, Loeb also won the Wales Rally GB. This helped Citroën win their first team championship since 2005.
In 2009, Loeb started strong, winning five rallies in a row. This included his 50th career victory in Cyprus. He had some bad luck with punctures and crashes in later races. He lost the championship lead for a short time. But he won the last two races in Spain and Great Britain. This secured his sixth world title.
The 2010 season saw Loeb continue his winning ways. He won three gravel events early on. In Bulgaria, he won as Citroën achieved a rare 1-2-3-4 finish. He won the 2010 Rallye Deutschland for the eighth time in a row. This was a new record for consecutive wins at one WRC event. He won his seventh world title at his home event, the 2010 Rallye de France. The race ended in his hometown of Haguenau. He finished on the podium in all but one event that year.
In 2011, new WRC cars were introduced. Loeb, driving a Citroën DS3 WRC, won in Mexico for the fifth time. He also won in Italy, Argentina, and Finland. His win in Finland made him the first non-Nordic driver to win that event twice. There was some tension with his teammate, Sébastien Ogier. Loeb had some bad luck with a puncture and an engine failure. But he won in Spain and then secured his eighth world championship in Wales. This made him the most successful driver in major motorsport championships, passing Michael Schumacher.
Loeb started 2012 with a record sixth win in the 2012 Monte Carlo Rally. He won in Mexico, Argentina, Greece, New Zealand, and Finland. He also won in Germany. He finished second in Wales. In September, Loeb announced he would stop racing full-time in rallying. He wanted to try new challenges. At his home event in France, he won his ninth world title. This also helped Citroën win their eighth team title. Many experts called him the "best rally driver of all time."
In 2013, Loeb raced in five rallies. He won in Monte Carlo and Argentina. He crashed out of his home rally in France. This was his last full season in the WRC.
Later WRC Appearances
After 2013, Loeb raced in fewer WRC events.
- In 2015, he raced in Monte Carlo and finished 8th after a crash.
- He didn't race in 2016 or 2017.
- In 2018, he raced in three events and won the Rally Catalunya. This was his last win with Citroën.
- In 2019, he joined the Hyundai World Rally Team part-time. He got one podium in Chile.
- In 2020, he continued with Hyundai. He finished 6th in Monte Carlo and got a podium in Turkey.
- He left Hyundai in October 2020 and did not race in WRC in 2021.
New Co-driver and Recent WRC Wins
In November 2021, Loeb's long-time co-driver Daniel Elena retired. Loeb then tested the Ford Puma Rally1 car for M-Sport. He announced he would race part-time with a new co-driver, Isabelle Galmiche.
At the 2022 Monte Carlo Rally, Loeb and Galmiche won. This was his 80th WRC victory! It was his first win with a team other than Citroën. It was also his first win with a co-driver other than Daniel Elena. Loeb became the oldest driver to lead and win a WRC Rally. Galmiche became the first woman co-driver to win a WRC event since 1997.
In the 2022 Rally de Portugal, Loeb led early but crashed. He had another mechanical issue later and retired. At the 2022 Safari Rally, he showed good speed and won a stage. But his engine caught fire, forcing him to retire for the day. He still recovered to eighth place. At the 2022 Acropolis Rally, Loeb was leading but had to retire again due to issues.
In 2023, Loeb won the Azores Rallye with his partner and co-driver Laurène Godey.
Dakar Rally and Rally Raid Adventures
Loeb first raced in the 2016 Dakar Rally. He drove a Peugeot 2008 DKR. He led the rally for a while but finished 9th. In 2017, he achieved his best Dakar finish, coming in 2nd place. He won 5 stages that year.
In 2018, he had to retire from the Dakar Rally because his co-driver, Daniel Elena, was injured. In 2019, Peugeot stopped racing in Dakar. So, Loeb and Elena raced with a private team. They finished 3rd and won 4 stages.
Loeb did not race in the 2020 Dakar Rally. He announced he would return in 2021 with the Bahrain Raid Xtreme team. In the 2021 Dakar Rally, he had a tough race. He got penalties and many punctures. He had to retire after getting stranded for 5 hours. After this, Elena and Loeb decided to stop working together.
In 2022, Loeb raced in the first World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC). His new co-driver was Fabian Lurquin. They finished 2nd in the 2022 Dakar Rally. They had many mechanical problems and punctures but still did well.
Loeb won his first rally-raid event at the Andalucia Rally. He finished second overall in the 2022 W2RC championship.
In the 2023 Dakar Rally, Loeb finished 2nd again. He won seven stages in a row, which is a Dakar Rally record! He had some challenges, like multiple punctures and a minor crash. In the 2024 Dakar Rally, he finished 3rd.
Other Exciting Races
Le Mans and Sports Cars
Loeb also enjoys road racing. He first raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2005. This is a very long sports car race. He finished second overall in the 2006 24 Hours of Le Mans. He drove a Pescarolo-Judd car.
In 2012, Loeb started his own team, Sébastien Loeb Racing. His team competes in different sports car races.
Formula One Dreams
Loeb has tested Formula One cars several times. He tested for Renault F1 in 2007. Red Bull also gave him a test drive in their F1 car in 2008. He was one of the fastest drivers in a test session.
Loeb wanted to race in Formula One in 2009. But he was not given a special license needed to race in F1. This was because he hadn't done enough circuit racing at lower levels.
Touring Car Racing
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In 2013, Citroën announced they would join the World Touring Car Championship (WTCC) in 2014. Loeb was one of their drivers. He raced alongside other champions. In his first full season of circuit racing in 2014, Loeb won two races and got six podiums. He finished third in the championship. In 2015, he won four races and got twelve podiums, again finishing third overall.
Rallycross Championships
In 2016, Loeb joined the Team Peugeot-Hansen to race in the FIA World Rallycross Championship. He won his first race in Latvia in October. He finished fifth overall that year. In 2017, he had six podium finishes but no wins, finishing fourth overall. In 2018, his final season, he won one race and finished fourth overall again.
He returned to World Rallycross in 2023 with Team Special One. However, his car caught fire before a race, ending his season early.
Extreme E Racing
In 2020, Loeb joined Lewis Hamilton's Team X44 to race in the Extreme E Championship. This series uses electric SUVs in remote locations. In 2021, they finished second overall. They were tied on points but lost on tie-breakers.
In 2022, Loeb and Cristina Gutiérrez continued with Team X44. They won the Copper X Prix. They then won the 2022 Extreme E Championship title by just two points! Loeb and Gutiérrez finished the season with one win and four podiums.
Pikes Peak Hill Climb
In 2013, Loeb tested a special Peugeot 208 T16 car. This car was built for the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. This is a famous race up a mountain. Loeb won the event with an amazing time of 8 minutes and 13.878 seconds. He broke the old record by a minute and a half! His record was later broken in 2018.
Race of Champions
Loeb has won the "Champion of Champions" title at the Race of Champions five times. He won in 2003, 2005, 2008, 2022, and 2025. In 2004, he also won the Nations' Cup for France with Jean Alesi. In 2025, he won the Nations Cup again with Victor Martins. He is the first driver to win both the individual title and the Nations Cup in the same year.
X Games Gold
In July 2012, Loeb raced in the X Games in Los Angeles. He competed in the rallycross category. He won the gold medal, beating his old rival Marcus Grönholm and Ken Block.
Personal Life
Sébastien Loeb was born in Haguenau, France. He was the only child of Guy and Ingrid Loeb. He grew up in Oberhoffen-sur-Moder.
Loeb was married to Séverine Meny. She often helped with his racing events. They have a daughter together. In 2019, Loeb and Meny reportedly separated.
Currently, Loeb's partner is Laurène Godey. She sometimes co-drives for him in races. They won the 2019 Rallye du Var. Godey often joins Loeb at his racing events.
Loeb lives near Lausanne, Switzerland, with Laurène Godey and his daughter.
In 2009, the French president made Loeb a knight of the Légion d'honneur. This is a very high honor in France. He is also part of the "Champions for Peace" club. This group of athletes works to promote peace through sports around the world.
Images for kids
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Loeb on a road section during the 2006 Rally Finland
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Loeb at the 2007 Wales Rally GB
See also
In Spanish: Sébastien Loeb para niños
