Games on for Citroen rally pilot Loeb

Sébastien Loeb’s 71 career wins over 23 different rally events will keep him in good stead as he takes his Citroën DS3 to the X games in Los Angeles this weekend.

Responding to a challenge from NASCAR and XG RallyCross driver Travis Pastrana, Loeb, like so many before him will take up the gauntlet of a Cross-discipline athlete. 

Loeb will compete in the made for TV RallyCross event at the X Games where short course sprinting is order of the day.  Imported from Europe each race is run on a mixed-surface track (dirt/gravel and tarmac) around 1000 metres long. There are two heats, contested over four laps, which determine the line-up on the start grid for the final, which lasts five laps. In each race, the drivers must complete a “Joker Lap”, which follows a different, longer, section of the track, featuring a jump of over 20 metres. This encourages overtaking and keeps the fans on the edge of their seats.

“I love racing and I’m always interested in trying out new categories” says Loeb, “A week after the New Zealand Rally has finished, I’ll be in Los Angeles to take up the challenge set for me by Travis! RallyCross here in Europe provides some very spectacular racing, but the American version seems to be even more extreme. So, I didn’t need to be asked twice when the opportunity arose to race against drivers like Marcus Grönholm in a 545bhp Citroën DS3!”

To maximise its chances of winning, Citroën Racing has developed a very special DS3 called XL (pictured).  Citroën Racing says the XL doesn’t stand for Extra Large, nor is it the Roman numeral equivalent 40th iteration of the vehicle.  Instead it is much more personal standing for the X Games and Loeb!

Based on a car built by Hansen Motorsport, the seven-time World Rally Championship-winning team has introduced a healthy dose of Créative Technologie by making a series of modifications. “It’s always exciting to try out a new category and attempt to get the most out of the regulations,” confirmed Cyril Jourdan, lead engineer for the project at Citroën Racing. “From a distance, the rallyCross DS3 looks quite similar to the WRC. Although the design of the chassis and suspension systems are fairly similar, the powertrain is fundamentally different. The DS3 XL’s two-litre turbo engine develops 545bhp and 800Nm of torque. Its acceleration isn’t far off that of an F1 car, covering 0 to 100kph in 2.4 seconds!”

Compared with a rally car, the lack of co-driver and spare wheels means the engineers are required to rework the weight distribution. “That’s why the water radiator has been moved into the boot,” continued Cyril Jourdan. “The main visual difference between the WRC and the XL is the addition of cooling vents in the rear wings. This alteration is designed to achieve improved performance at the start, which is the most crucial phase in RallyCross.”

The X Games in LA features a number of extreme sports including engineless events such as BMX and Skateboarding, but the thrill of RallyCross is hard to ignore and attracts Cross-discipline athletes from many sporting backgrounds.  Brian Deegan came from a Moto X background to claim last years’ gold medal for RallyCross whilst the aforementioned Travis Pastrana T-Boned the last corner of the final to transform his NASCAR experience into a bronze RallyCross medal.

Even 39 year-old Bucky Lasek has made the transition from Skateboarding success into a Subaru backed RallyCross team.  Loeb’s pedigree and experience, along with Citroën is very impressive and more suited to the sport, so the chances of success should be comparatively easy for the team.

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