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Loeb's bottom gets him on top
Frenchman Sébastien Loeb, who could win a seventh consecutive world rallying title this weekend in Japan, said a specific part of his anatomy had helped him become his sport's greatest driver of all time.
Frenchman Loeb, who will be crowned in Japan if he chalks up his 60th World Rally Championship victory, and none of his rivals finish in the top six, did not name his eyes, hands or brain when asked by Reuters in an interview what made him the best.
"It's my bottom," the Citroen driver said. "That's what makes me feel the vibrations and anticipate how the car will react. Even if it's just on one wheel, I instinctively know which way it will slide, what kind of grip it will have and where I can drive it through."
His bottom alone could not explain it all, he admitted.
"A lot has to do with feelings," he said. "I know how to improvise while driving fast, how to lose as little speed as possible when I brake, turn or accelerate. You can't learn that. Without showing off, I would says 80 percent of it is natural and the rest comes from work."
His young years as a gymnast also helped, he said.
"I can't really explain why," he said. "I was always good at sports where balance plays a role and you have to move your body though the air, like skiing or surfing."
Loeb said he felt absolutely no pressure before an event that could see him seal the title with three rallies remaining before the end of the season.
"Winning a race is never easy, and even less when there is so much at stake, but I try not to put any pressure on myself," he said. "If journalists were not mentioning the title, I would not even be talking about it. I'll just drive to win all the timed stages I can, which is what I always do."
Now 36, Loeb looks likely to finish his career in his extremely demanding and somewhat underrated sport and will probably not make the switch to more glamorous world of Formula One he once considered.
Asked if he was tired of winning, the man who has left only crumbs to his rivals for the best part of a decade said: "No. The thing is that I really hate losing and the best way to take care of that is to keep winning."
The Japanese rally, Loeb said, was by no means his favourite.
"The roads are not very pretty here, they're narrow, you can't see the turns because of the trees, there are lots of ruts and gravel. You have to be very precise and can't drive flat out, which is what I like best. But you can't pick the place where you're going to win the title."
Asked if there was anything about him he would like to change, the fastest driver rallying has ever known said: "Yes, I'm always late."
