VIDEO: Loeb Smashed Pikes Peak Record

Quelle surprise... the world's greatest rally driver ever has blitzed the 2013 Pikes Peak event, by an unreal margin – setting a new course record of 8min 13.878sec for the 12.4-mile course, in his epic 900bhp Peugeot 208 T16... some 95 seconds faster than the existing record! It seems highly unlikely anyone will ever get up the 'race to the clouds' faster. There's only one Sebastian Loeb eh?! What a legend! The superb Colorado course, rising overs 5000 feet and with just shy of 160 testing corners was no real challenge for superman Loeb, who made it look easy in his epic T16 and brought back fond memories of Ari Vatanen's legendary cloud dance run in the 405 T16. The amazing 208 T16 was created using many components from the 908 Le Mans car, was created in under four months and uses a 900bhp mid-mounted 3.2-litre twin-turbocharged petrol V6, a six-speed four-wheel-drive transaxle and a state of the art steel spaceframe chassis with a torsion-bar double wishbone suspension set up and trick front and rear and carbon fibre racing brakes and aero pack. The ballistic power-to-weight and grip netted 0-62mph in 1.8 seconds and 0-150mph time in just 7.0 sec! Peugeot said: After months of anticipation, Sébastien Loeb has shattered the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb record with a breath-taking time of 8m13.878s in the Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak. The Frenchman negotiated the 12.42 miles and 156 corners of the mountain at an average speed of 87.471mph. Loeb’s time blitzed the previous best of 9m46.164s, set by Rhys Millen last year, with the top three finishers all beating the 2012 record. “For me, this was the race of the year,” said Loeb at the finish, at 4,300 metres high in the Rocky Mountains. “At the beginning of my run there was a bit of pressure for sure because I knew there was so much work and investment from Peugeot and all the partners. Now, after all the practice, it was just down to me and I had to perform.” Loeb started first of the Unlimited class cars, unleashing his 875-horsepower car onto the mountain this morning after all the motorcycle competitors had passed through. However there were a number of delays before he started, which meant that the team began to worry about bad weather: a common feature of Pikes Peak at high altitude. “When I was on the start line waiting to go, I could actually see the clouds closing in at the top of the mountain,” said Loeb. “I remember thinking that if we didn’t get going soon, it would be really difficult.” As it was, Loeb blasted his 208 T16 Pikes Peak through the clouds in a time that was even quicker than Peugeot Sport’s computer had thought was possible. The ideal theoretical time – calculated using data from Loeb’s practice runs up the Colorado mountain – was 8m15s. The nine-times World Rally Champion somehow managed to shave two seconds off that. “I’m really happy as that was a very good run in the end,” said Loeb. “I really didn’t expect anything better than 8m15s, so to do 8m13s was fantastic. Before the start I didn’t really know if I should push absolutely to the maximum or if I should just push to a comfortable pace, in order to make sure of the victory. In the end, I decided to push to the limit.” The result was spectacular, with Loeb now joining the pantheon of Pikes Peak winners; nearly one year to the day after he first conquered America by winning the rally cross finale of the X-Games on 1st July, 2012. Despite his flat-out approach, the multiple champion didn’t even report any major moments, while his Peugeot has been completely reliable throughout the entire month it has been in America. “It was good, all under control from start to finish,” he concluded. “Apart from the potential of the weather turning bad, we didn’t have any worrying moments.” The scenes of success at Peugeot were reminiscent of 1988, when former World Rally Champion Ari Vatanen broke the Pikes Peak record for the French manufacturer exactly 25 years ago, with the 405 T16 Pikes Peak. Back then the benchmark was 10m47.220s on gravel roads – a sign of just how rapidly technology has evolved. In second place on the 91st ‘Race to the Sky’ this year was former record-holder Rhys Millen in his all-new Hyundai RMR PM580-T, 49 seconds behind Loeb with a time of 9m02.192s. Nonetheless, the New Zealander beat his own record – and he says that he’s determined to break the nine-minute barrier next year. “I think it’s fair to say that we were racing for second place today,” said Millen. “Romain Dumas and I had been really close throughout practice, but then I heard that his engine had unfortunately broken at the start. I knew I wasn’t going to beat Sebastien’s time, so I just decided to take no risks. You have to hand it to Loeb and Peugeot Sport: they were unbeatable. That time they set was simply incredible. When will it be beaten? It might never be…” For Loeb and Peugeot Sport, it was the end to a remarkable one-shot adventure that had taken them from early tests of the 208 T16 Pikes Peak at Mont Ventoux in France to the untrammelled mountains of Colorado: officially America’s highest state. Pikes Peak is a legend: the second-oldest car race in America after the Indy 500. And now Loeb – the new King of the Peak – and the Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak car are part of American history. Bravo to Peugeot for building such an amazing racer in such a short time, setting their stall out and surpassing even their expectations – making history. And a special thanks has to go to fellow French firm, Citroen for letting him do it! Sebastian Loeb, we salute you – again! Now, please come to Wales Rally GB!!!

NEWS: Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak Test

Peugeot has let their 875bhp 208 T16 Pikes Peak beast loose on a full-chat altitude test – in preparation for the Colorado "ascent to the clouds" hill climb June 24-30th.
The gruelling test took place at Le Ventoux – an ultra-demanding and famous stage of the Tour de France.
"You’ve got a much bigger chance of seeing me drive to the top in a car than on a bike," quipped the reigning world rally champion Sébastien Loeb before the test, however.
Peugeot say: "You only need to drive a couple of kilometres up the road which leads from the test team’s basecamp to the summit to understand why this barren mountain has become such a huge legend among cycle racing fans. The steep slope and numerous turns do not permit the slightest respite as it strikes out towards the summit. The reward is a stunning panoramic view of France’s Provence region, while the vegetation becomes much sparser and the landscape more lunar as you approach the barren peak at an altitude of 1,909 metres.
"The last six kilometres – which we at Peugeot Sport used for the test – are simply breathtaking! It’s little wonder that ‘Le Ventoux’ is seen as one of the Tour de France’s most prestigious stages, and it comes as no surprise, either, to learn that it provided the backdrop to one of the most famous hill climb events in the pioneering days of the automobile industry. In 1902, even before the Pikes Peak Hill Climb was organised for the first time, the most advanced vehicles of the day would compete here, and the venue is perfectly suited as the location for Peugeot Sport’s last run ahead of next month’s showdown in North America."
"This is an important run because Pikes Peak is very different from a nice, smooth race track," noted Sébastien Loeb. "It is vital for us to evaluate the car on a terrain that is more like what we will find in the States. This road will give us a reasonably accurate idea..."
The world champion was visibly pleased to be back in the Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak car, now sporting its aggressive livery: "It’s not the power that impresses me anymore; I’ve got used to it," he reported. "It’s the speed at which the corners leap out at you which is more striking than round a circuit where there’s always a ‘100-metre’ board to show you where to brake. Here, you can be in fifth or sixth gear and you suddenly see mountainside ahead of you; you have to work out for yourself where you need to brake…"
With a power output of 875 horsepower, this car is no ordinary 208. "The steering is still very, very responsive, so it can be a little hairy keeping your foot to the floor though the fast portions," observed the French driver. "On wide slicks like this and at the sort of speeds I am getting up to, the slightest imperfection in the road surface really unsettles the car."

A switch to softer Michelin tyres and revised calibration for the steering helped to improve the situation.
Peugeot Sport’s Jean-Christophe Pailler, who is in charge of the project’s technical aspects, saw the open-air session as a dress rehearsal both for the team and the 208 T16 Pikes Peak car: "The mechanics and engineers need to familiarise themselves with working on the car in real-life conditions. They are getting an increasingly better grasp of how it responds to set-up changes and are analysing the tiniest detail or piece of feedback from Seb to refine its settings. It’s a learning process for everyone…"
The visit to Mont Ventoux also provided the team with the possibility of running at altitude. "Okay, the altitude isn’t as extreme here as it is at Pikes Peak which reaches 4,301 metres, but it’s a valuable intermediate step," added Jean-Christophe. "It allows us to see the differences in the way the engine functions, although we hope to suffer less from altitude-induced power-loss than our rivals because of the turbochargers we have chosen."
The next step is the journey to Colorado for more testing on the course which will only be available on a section-by-section basis on 8th, 9th, 14th, 15th and 16th June. After this final preparatory phase, the event will run in earnest from 24th June until 30th June, which is when Sébastien Loeb and the Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak car will at last get their chance to reach for the clouds for real!

Prior preparation prevent poor performance! We expect nothing less than something truly spectacular at Pikes Peak with this combination of Mr Loeb, Peugeot Sport & 875bhp, right? 

See more images on our Facebook page.

NEWS: Loeb Set To Attack RallycrossRX

Sebastian Loeb is having an amazing year of motorsport! Having just won the Rally Argentina in his Citroen DS3 WRC (stopping the VW Polo R WRC's run of wins) and fresh from bouts of McLaren  MP4-12C GT racing, super Seb is all set to race RallycrossRX in Loheac in the FIA European Rallycross Championship for the first time, on August 31-September 1 on home soil. Watch out rallycross regulars!  

Loeb will drive a Citroen DS3 Supercar in the event which forms round seven of the nine-event championship. The 39-year-old, nine-time World Rally Champion has added the RallycrossRX outing to his calendar in a year in which he has embarked on a diverse range of events including rounds of the World Rally Championship, the FIA GT Championship and Pikes Peak Hill Climb.
The Frenchman has previously driven a rallycross car in competition only once; using a Citroen DS3 Supercar to win an X Games gold medal in Los Angeles last July.
"2013 is definitely a year full of challenges. I received an invitation from the [Rallycross Loheac] organiser Patrick Germain, and I decided to answer positively," said Loeb. "Apart from the X Games, I have no experience in Rallycross so I will probably have to fight hard against fast specialists in a very high level championship.
"I enjoyed my experience at the X Games last year and I expect something similar. Loheac is the temple of Rallycross. This is a well-known event with always a very big crowd. In a sportive side, this is also a very tough race.
"I couldn’t let this opportunity to participate at least once in my career pass, especially because it is with a Citroën DS3. I am looking forward to go to Loheac, meet the fans and race there."
Rallycross Loheac, 30km south of Rennes in Brittany, is widely accepted as being the best attended rallycross event in world. Regularly attracting more than 30,000 spectators it has been a cornerstone of the French championship for many years and, this year, is included in the FIA European Rallycross Championship for the first time since 2001.

Bon chance Seb! Sure the 600bhp gravel experience will help get you more used to the 850bhp Pug you'll be blasting up Pike Peak's tarmac, gravel and sand later in the year!

RallycrossRX is the FIA European Rallycross Championship, promoted since 2013, by IMG Motorsports, part of IMG Worldwide. Rallycross combines all the best aspects of motor racing in one. It's fast, competitive and spectacular. It's bold, authentic and relatable. Within it are all the elements of four-wheel racing that you love; and RallycrossRX is the pinnacle.
Visit the official website: www.rallycrossrx.com
Be a part of #RX:
Twitter: @RallycrossRX, | Facebook.com/RallycrossRX | YouTube.com/RallycrossRXTV

NEWS: Sebastian Loeb Declares 875bhp Peugeot 208 T16 Pike Peaker "a rocket!"

Nine-times WRC rallying God and French dude, Sébastien Loeb’s has finally got his first impressions of the 875bhp Peugeot 208 T16 Pikes Peak car, describing it as "a rocket," and saying he's never driven anything that accelerates so fast and it has the stopping power like a Formula 1 single-seater, more than in a rally car! Sébastien Loeb is all set to drive 'the race to the clouds' in Colorado on 30th June.
When Sébastien Loeb’s helicopter landed alongside the high security track at La Ferté-Vidame, in North Western France, the rally star believed he was in for a routine test session. After just a handful of laps in the car, he realised that this was something different however…
He said: "The 208 T16 Pikes Peak is a rocket! It’s so powerful! The first time you drive it, each gear change practically stuns you. The shifts are really brutal, and it takes a little time to anticipate the sudden jarring. You get used to it, but it was quite disorienting to begin with."
The Frenchman may have seen it all on world rallying’s most challenging stages, but his words were far from blasé after his first taste of the 208 T16 Pikes Peak.
"I’ve never driven anything that accelerates so fast!" he remarked. "In the lower gears, a Formula 1 car doesn’t deliver maximum power. With the Peugeot, though, it’s bang, bang, bang as you move up the box from standstill. Due to its four-wheel drive transmission and turbocharged engine, its pull-away performance is phenomenal! You find yourself in sixth gear at 150mph in no time at all!"
Indeed, with a 0-62mph (100kph) time of 1.8s, the 208 T16 Pikes Peak would leave any F1 car standing…
It is not only the gearbox which made a big impression on rallying’s superstar.
"Due to its aerodynamic downforce and wide tyres, its braking is amazing, too." he exclaimed. "The 208 package is a combination of the best of several worlds: it’s got the downforce of a Formula 1 car, the wide tyres of an endurance racing prototype and a differential, like a WRC car…" In short, it’s a cocktail that gives you wings…
As the familiarisation process continued, Sébastien Loeb was clearly won over by the unique experience: "I have driven many types of car in my career, but this is very, very different. Its acceleration, performance and stopping power are more like those of a Formula 1 single-seater than a rally car. Its handling is fantastic as well; there’s so much grip, and the all-wheel drive transmission makes it very stable. It’s got huge potential."
Like any thoroughbred, however, the 208 T16 Pikes Peak will need to be broken in, since Sébastien Loeb has no intention of allowing the car to be the one in control. On the contrary; with nine World Rally titles to his name, he approaches the mission with his trademark calm: "This track isn’t very wide and there aren’t any run-offs, so I’m taking things one step at a time. I don’t know what the car’s limits are yet but it was important to do this run on a circuit today. Now we have a better idea of where we stand and a better overview of the car’s potential. After that, the challenge will be to try to feel totally at one with the car on the Pikes Peak Hill Climb itself. That will take some work…"
When the big day comes to race to the Colorado summit at an altitude of 4,301 metres, Sébastien Loeb will need to be capable of mastering every buck and kick of the thoroughbred if he is to steer clear of the many pitfalls that await him along the giddy 20-kilometre course. And that will require perfect osmosis between the French champion and his extremely powerful steed.
To give this fusion every chance of happening, Peugeot Sport has scheduled a busy test programme at circuits, on roads and at altitude as the next phase of this extraordinary project which the multiple World Rally Champion finds particularly stimulating: "I really can’t wait to get to drive the 208 T16 Pikes Peak in Colorado!"
And we can not wait to see what the world's greatest rally driver can do at Pikes Peak, can you?
See a load of cool images of the test here.

VIDEO: Sebastian Loeb: Rallying's finest. GT's finest next?

Congratulations to nine-times WRC winning driving God, Sebastian Loeb – who took his first victory, in his first 2013 FIA GT race this weekend at Nogaro.
Driving in his Sebastian Loeb Racing McLaren MP4-12C, with co-driver Alvaro Parente, the team took P1 in Sunday's qualifying race. Bravo Seb! Show these GT boys why rally drivers are the best in the world.

It's hard to believe this is Loeb's first full season in the GT car, watching his race craft on Sunday... as this overtake to take the lead over the No. 12 Belgian Audi Club Team WRT Audi R8 LMS ultra of Niki Mayr-Melnhof (& Rene Rast) who lead from pole clearly shows.

Pure class... 

"It was a really good qualifying race," Loeb said. "Congratulations to Alvaro who had a great battle. He didn't have the opportunity as the Audi driver was really, really fast. We were still in contact after the pits. I struggled a bit with him but finally at the end, I could pass him. For sure it gives me great pleasure. It was a good fight."

Bring on the rest of the season. And follow Seb on Facebook.

NEWS: Sébastien Loeb To Race McLaren 12C GT3 in 2013 FIA GT Series

So, this is what the incredible nine-time World Rally Champion, Sébastien Loeb is up to instead of demolishing WRC rivals this season. Yup, as rumoured, the most successful rally driver of all time is now turning his hand to contesting the FIA GT Series this season – having come third in the French GT Championships in 2012. He will be driving one of two examples of the monstrously beautiful MP4 12C GT3 being run by his team, Sébastien Loeb Racing. Loeb will be joined in the cockpit by McLaren GT factory driver Alvaro Parente from Portugal for the six-date season. Find out more about the new series – which features six events, each with two races of one hour – here.

Is the world of GT racing ready? We very much doubt it... good luck Seb! 

VIDEOS: Monte Carlo Rally 2013 Videos

Watch all the videos of the amazing 2013 WRC curtain raiser – Monte Carlo – including the amazing, auspicious VW Polo R WRC debut on our Facebook page. An hour very well spent this lunchtime I think you will agree...?

VIDEO: WRC Monte Carlo 2013 Round-up

What a Monte Carlo Rallye – four days, 16 ace special stages and 425.93Km of drama in classic, tricky Winter alpine conditions! And what an incredible start to the 2013 season – mainly thanks to the injection of excitement the arrival of VW Motorsport and Sebastian Ogier/Jari-Matti Latvala gave in the new VW Polo R WRC. It not only looked amazing, but did the business – setting out its stall with an incredible (Ogier) win on SS1 (in VW's first ever WRC event!), and staking claim to an amazing second place, with Ogier driving the doors off the new car, to come in behind the amazing Sebastian Loeb, taking his unreal 77th WRC victory and 7th Monte Carlo Rallye win, by 1m39s in his Citroen Total Abu Dhabi DS3. And Dani Sordo in his Citroen DS3 WRC was third. Incredible! Roll on the rest of 2013 and the WRC. 

After a great Sebastian fight for first on day one and two, the final day was loaded with drama too, ending up with two stage cancellations – after three of the top seven – Evgeny Novikov, Jari-Matti Latvala and Juho Hanninen – crashed out in very slippery, icy conditions on the legendary Col de Turini. And you can see Jari-Matti Latvala's spectacular shunt in the video above. Ouch!
The cool, calm, collected and uber-talented Loeb said to WRC: "I’m always happy when I win, and Monte-Carlo is one of the most exciting rallies I’ve done. This one was really, really difficult. The conditions were extreme compared to what we have usually and winning wasn’t easy."
And the amazing Sebastian Ogier said to WRC: "I’m so happy, it’s like a victory for me. I’m a competitor and I’ve never been happy to finish second but this weekend it was really the target, and to start the season like this is amazing. I’ve been waiting for one year, I’ve done so many tests and it was frustrating sometimes, and now here we are with the Polo on the pace already."
Bring on Rally Sweden, the only true snow event of the WRC year, February 7-10th. We only wish Loeb was up for the whole year, not just four events – giving him the chance of 10 WRC crowns. But, I guess he's already proved he is the best rally driver of all time... awesome. 

VIDEO: 2012 WRC Wales Rally GB Highlights

Here's all the action from Wales Rally GB this weekend. The 1604-kilometre, 19-stage (325kms) event, drier than usual thanks to its move out of Winter to the end of Summer on the WRC calendar, finally gave Finnish Yari-Matti Latvala a Rally GB win, in the Ford Fiesta RS WRC. He won eight from 19 special stages and completed the event in 3 hours 3 minutes 40.3 seconds, almost a whole half a minute quicker than second-placed Frenchman Sébastien Loeb's Citroen DS3 WRC. Latvala's Norwegian Ford team-mate Petter Solberg completed the podium after losing out to Loeb by the tiny margin of 0.9 seconds, in one of the closest dog fights on the event for years. Ace! See more news and special stage times at: www.walesrallygb.com

VIDEO: 2012 WRC Wales Rally GB: Shakedown

Here's the highlights from the Rally GB shakedown, from a remarkable sunny and warm Wales... bring on the special stage action!

VIDEO: WRC 2012 Germany Preview

It's the 30th anniversary of Rally Germany this weekend, and the 10th time the tarmac event has been run in the WRC calendar. Super-Seb Loeb has won the event a massive eight times, in a row... but super-Seb Ogier robbed that off Loeb last year, so what will happen this year? Can the Scandinavian drivers in their  Fords challenge the French drivers in their Citroens? The smart money says no... but, as Didier Auriol used to say: "You can never count on anything... it's rallying, no!" Friday sees the stages blast through the vineyards, on fast flowing roads. Saturday is on the painful airfields, with their tyre-shredding tarmac and lethal hinklesteins and Sunday is a sprint day, with final power stage through Trier. Bring it on!

VIDEO: WRC 2012 Mexico Day 3 (Part 2/2)

The final video of the action in the heat and dust of Rally Mexico... and we'll let you watch it to see who wins between Loeb, Hirvonen and Solberg... great gravel rally. Tequilas all round! Shaping up to be a great season... don't you think?

VIDEO: WRC 2012 Mexico Day 3 (Part 1/2)

Sebastien Loeb, Mikko Hirvonen and Petter Solberg get stuck into the final day... but who will win Rally Mexico?

VIDEO: WRC 2012 Rally Guanajuato México: Day 2 Highlights

All the action from Day Two of WRC Mexico 2012. Some fabulous flat out, sixth gear stuff...

VIDEO: WRC 2012: Rally Guanajuato México Day 1 Highlights

First of four videos showing all the action from the first gravel round of WRC 2012... enjoy the dusty, big jump action...

VIDEO: WRC 2012 Mexico Preview

So, we've had the famous tarmac of Rallye Monte-Carlo, and the snowbanks of Sweden, now for the first bit of gravel in WRC 2012, with the heat and altitude of Rally Mexico. Here's the preview video to wet you appetites... Our money is on that man Loeb, who's won for the last four years here... unstoppable on the loose? Or maybe it's Petter Solberg's turn for a win in his new factory Ford? Should be a good one... and you can see all the action unfold here on the Road blog.