Loeb splits with co-driver Elena after 23-year partnership
Sebastien Loeb and long-term co-driver Daniel Elena have parted company after 23 years together.
Loeb admitted “it wasn’t an easy decision” to make and it is understood that he called Elena around midday today to deliver the news to him, having most recently competed together at this year’s Dakar Rally for the Bahrain Raid Xtreme team.
The Prodrive-build BRX1 car’s debut at the Dakar Rally was marred with mechanical problems, including a broken suspension arm on stage six and a damaged bearing on stage seven. Retirement followed for the pair on stage eight when they picked up two punctures in the opening 80km and only had one spare wheel.
Posting on his official Instagram account this afternoon, Loeb wrote: “After five Dakar rallies together – and after discussions with the team – we came to the conclusion that maybe it would be good to try something else.
“It is not without a heartache that we will not start the next edition as teammates. It wasn't an easy decision to make, or the easiest phone call to make after these 23 years, but I have no doubts about your ability to bounce back.
“We will have the opportunity to share our passion again together and to look back on our great moments.”
Loeb has insisted the decision to part company will not affect his friendship with Elena moving forward.
Nine-time World Rally champion Loeb left the series at the end of 2020 after two seasons in the Hyundai Motorsport camp to pursue a win at the Dakar, although all parties hinted at the time that they could join forces again in the future. Their best results with Hyundai came at Rally Chile in 2019 and Rally Turkey in 2020 where they finished on the third step of the podium.
That followed a lengthy spell with Citroen where Loeb and Elena secured nine consecutive WRC titles between 2004 and 2012. Except for 2006, these were achieved under the official works banner in three different cars: the Xsara, C4 and DS3.
The pair joined forces for the first time at Rallye du Val d’Agout in 1998, the scene of their first win as teammates in a Citroen Saxo Kit Car.
Related video
WRC "turned calendar upside down" for safe start in COVID measures
Breen crash "hasn't affected" Hyundai's Rally Croatia plans
Team 18's coin toss chassis allocation
Supercars squad Team 18 used a combination of a coin toss and a ping pong ball lottery to allocate its new chassis to drivers Scott Pye and Mark Winterbottom.
BRT not fazed by Ford aero questions
Blanchard Racing Team isn't fazed about the unresolved Ford aero package ahead of its maiden Gen3 Supercars test at Winton tomorrow.
Australian GP releases more race day tickets
The Australian Grand Prix Corporation has announced a final limited release of race day tickets.
Tickford unveils first 2023 livery
Tickford Racing has unveiled its first livery ahead of the 2023 season with the covers coming off Brad Vaughan's Super2 entry.
How fired-up Ogier became the WRC's ultimate Monte master
He may only be contesting a part-time campaign in the World Rally Championship these days, but Sebastien Ogier underlined that he's lost none of his speed in the 2023 season opener. Storming to yet another victory on the Monte Carlo Rally, the eight-time world champion rewrote the history books again as Toyota served notice of its intentions with a crushing 1-2
How Lancia pulled off its famous Monte Carlo giantkilling
Audi should have been invincible in the snowy conditions that typically greeted the World Rally Championship paddock in Monte Carlo. But unexpectedly warm weather for the 1983 season opener, combined with some left-field thinking from the Lancia crew turned the tables. Forty years on, team boss Cesare Fiorio reflects on a smash and grab.
Why M-Sport has pinned all its efforts on a WRC reunion
M-Sport had a disastrous 2022 with its Rally1 Ford Pumas following Sebastien Loeb’s first-time-out win on the Monte. But now things are looking up with 2019 world champion Ott Tanak leading its attack, and the Cumbrian operation has optimism that it can challenge for a first title since Sebastien Ogier's departure at the end of 2018
The contenders seeking to take Rovanpera's WRC crown
As Kalle Rovanpera begins his World Rally Championship title defence in Monte Carlo, the Finn knows he has a target on his back. But who is best placed to knock the Toyota ace off his perch?
Why Rovanpera is anticipating a fight to defend his WRC title
Question: what could be harder than becoming the youngest-ever World Rally champion? Answer: becoming the youngest-ever two-time World Rally champion. That's quite the challenge facing Toyota's Kalle Rovanpera in 2022, particularly against rejuvenated opposition in the second year of the WRC's hybrid regulations.
From F1 to WRC: Why Hyundai's new boss could be an inspired signing
OPINION: New Hyundai rally team boss Cyril Abiteboul admits he’s got a lot to learn, but his F1 experience and evident strengths could mean he turns out to be an inspired choice.
The ultimate rally car project the WRC is glad COVID killed
Toyota was unstoppable in the 2021 World Rally Championship, with an excellent 75% strike rate from 12 rallies. But in a scary proposition for its rivals, the Japanese marque had built a car for the final year of the previous regulations set which it believes was much faster and could feasibly have crushed the opposition completely. Here the story of its mothballed world-beater.
Motorsport.com writers' most memorable moments of 2022
The season just gone was a memorable one for many of our staff writers, who are fortunate enough to cover motorsport around the world. Here are our picks of the best (and in some cases, most eventful) from 2022.
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.