Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Loeb and Räikkönen tipped for Le Mans


Seven-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb has been tipped to return to the Le Mans 24 Hours this year: an event that he has already contested twice, with a best result of second place in 2006.

Loeb came close to a Le Mans seat in 2010 with Peugeot, before deciding to prioritise his World Rally Championship campaign and testing commitments with the new Citroën DS3 WRC.

Now though, with Loeb likely to retire from rallying at the end of 2011 – especially if he wins the title again – the 36-year-old is looking at his racing future for 2012 and beyond.

With the Le Mans 24 Hours scheduled for 11-12 June this year, between the rallies of Argentina and Greece, Loeb would have time to take part in the endurance classic – which is not always possible due to the demands of the WRC calendar.

Former Grand Prix Champion Kimi Räikkönen – who will contest 10 rallies this year in a Citroën DS3 WRC – is also keen to race at Le Mans. Discussions have taken place with Citroen’s sponsor Red Bull about the possibility of running a Peugeot 908 in Red Bull colours at Le Mans; with the two rally stars among the driver line-up.

Räikkönen will only miss the rallies of Mexico, Italy and Argentina this year, although more rounds could be forthcoming if extra budget is secured.

Source: MaxRally

Courtesy: sleenster

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