Nine consecutive WRC world championship titles, 120 podiums in 184 rallies, 80 wins and 939 stage wins. Sébastien Loeb has a rich history in some of the most competitive rally machinery. Here are three of our favourite Sébastien Loeb vehicles that you can drive in sim racing in no particular order. Happy Birthday, Sébastien!
The Xsara is one of the most recognisable WRC cars in the sport’s long history. Despite being based on a rather unspectacular road car, the Xsara WRC catapulted Loeb into the spotlight with consistent and dominant success throughout 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Recognisable teammates throughout this period were Carlos Sainz, the dad of Formula One Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr, and the infamous Scotsman, Colin McRae.
EA Sports WRC Citroën Xsara WRC. Image Credit: OverTake.gg
How can you try the Citroën Xsara yourself? EA Sports WRC is the place to try first of all with a fantastic rendition of the Xsara on offer in the ‘World Rally Car 1997-2011 class. Besides the Citroën Xsara, the C4 that Loeb also had great success with in the late 2000s and early 2010s is also available.
Richard Burns Rally also offers some fantastic renditions of the Xsara WRC, with plenty of popular online championships to compete in. RBR, as true rally sim fans know, comes alive with mods. These mods are necessary to enjoy the Xsara to its full potential. Check out our Richard Burns rally guide.
If classic titles are more your speed, PS2 and PC titles Colin McRae Rally 03, 04 and 05 all include the Citroën Xsara in the top class as a playable vehicle. Colin McRae Rally 04 is especially renowned for being ahead of its time.
After the demise of the Xsara, Loeb returned to the championship as an official Citroën factory driver behind the wheel of the brand-new C4 WRC. The success came immediately with the French man winning the car’s debut rally in Mexico.
In the C4’s final season, 2010, Loeb was on the podium at every event, excluding Japan, and ended the season with a record 105 points over runner-up Jari-Matti Latvala.
Richard Burns Rally also has had multiple versions of the C4 over the years with plenty of livery options available. EA Sports WRC does not have the Red Bull liveries that Loeb used, however, the RaceDepartment modding community is seeing to these issues with incredible efficiency.
Rally1 machinery is a big step up compared to the previous generations of rally cars, most notably due to the huge aero. Sadly, the entry list of manufacturers is rather small. These cars also feature the controversial hybrid energy deployment system that is becoming more and more common in motorsport.
All the Rally1 machinery (Ford, Hyundai and Toyota) are available in WRC Generations and EA Sports WRC. The Hybrid deployment is automatic and the regen acts as it would do in the real thing. Whether on the brakes for regenerating energy or on the throttle to expel it. The player, similar to the real-life driver, has no control over it.
Outside of official rally titles, the Rally1 cars can also be found in Assetto Corsa. Rally is slowly growing on Kunos’ original title and we’re all for it! Check out our most downloaded rally stages list on RaceDepartment.
Happy birthday to the Fiery Frenchman! We hope you all have hours of fun with some of his most famous rally machinery. Let us know your favourite Sébastien Loeb WRC car on X @OverTake_gg or down in the comments below!
Sébastien Loeb – 2004 Cyprus Rally. Image Credit: Leonid Mamchenkov Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic
Loeb’s WRC career started behind the wheel of a Citroën Xsara WRC alongside Philippe Bugalski and Jesús Puras. In Loeb’s third rally, Rallye Sanremo, the Frenchman was hot on the heels of renowned tarmac specialist Gilles Panizzi, eventually finishing second. As a certified tarmac specialist, Jimmy Broadbent would be proud!
The Xsara is one of the most recognisable WRC cars in the sport’s long history. Despite being based on a rather unspectacular road car, the Xsara WRC catapulted Loeb into the spotlight with consistent and dominant success throughout 2003, 2004 and 2005.
Recognisable teammates throughout this period were Carlos Sainz, the dad of Formula One Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz Jr, and the infamous Scotsman, Colin McRae.
Richard Burns Rally also offers some fantastic renditions of the Xsara WRC, with plenty of popular online championships to compete in. RBR, as true rally sim fans know, comes alive with mods. These mods are necessary to enjoy the Xsara to its full potential. Check out our Richard Burns rally guide.
If classic titles are more your speed, PS2 and PC titles Colin McRae Rally 03, 04 and 05 all include the Citroën Xsara in the top class as a playable vehicle. Colin McRae Rally 04 is especially renowned for being ahead of its time.
Citroen C4 WRC
Sébastien Loeb’s dominant 2009 Citroën C4. Image Credit: Bobs Bob on Flikr. Creative Commons License Attribution 2.0 Generic
Built as a successor to the Citroën Xsara WRC, the Citroën C4 WRC was revealed at the 2006 Paris Motor Show as Citroën’s new entry for the 2007 World Rally Championship season.
After the demise of the Xsara, Loeb returned to the championship as an official Citroën factory driver behind the wheel of the brand-new C4 WRC. The success came immediately with the French man winning the car’s debut rally in Mexico.
In the C4’s final season, 2010, Loeb was on the podium at every event, excluding Japan, and ended the season with a record 105 points over runner-up Jari-Matti Latvala.
Sébastien Loeb C4 EA Sports WRC Livery Mod. Image Credit: totolab
Sim racers loved the car just as much as the rally fans did back in the late 2000s and 2010s. The car appeared in both Dirt Rally and Dirt Rally 2.0. It has also been used as legacy content in WRC Generations and most recently in EA Sports WRC as a part of the ‘World Rally Car 1997 – 2011’ car class.
Richard Burns Rally also has had multiple versions of the C4 over the years with plenty of livery options available. EA Sports WRC does not have the Red Bull liveries that Loeb used, however, the RaceDepartment modding community is seeing to these issues with incredible efficiency.
Ford Puma Rally1
Sébastien Loeb (FRA) and Isabelle Galmiche (FRA) Rally Portugal 2022. Image Credit: Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool
Following his co-driver Daniel Elena’s retirement, Loeb plunged headfirst into Rally1 and signed for M-Sport part-time to drive their Rally1 Puma for 2022. Success did not come as easy as it did for him in his Citroën days, but when Loeb is behind the wheel the top step of the podium is always on the cards.
Rally1 machinery is a big step up compared to the previous generations of rally cars, most notably due to the huge aero. Sadly, the entry list of manufacturers is rather small. These cars also feature the controversial hybrid energy deployment system that is becoming more and more common in motorsport.
All the Rally1 machinery (Ford, Hyundai and Toyota) are available in WRC Generations and EA Sports WRC. The Hybrid deployment is automatic and the regen acts as it would do in the real thing. Whether on the brakes for regenerating energy or on the throttle to expel it. The player, similar to the real-life driver, has no control over it.
Outside of official rally titles, the Rally1 cars can also be found in Assetto Corsa. Rally is slowly growing on Kunos’ original title and we’re all for it! Check out our most downloaded rally stages list on RaceDepartment.
Happy birthday to the Fiery Frenchman! We hope you all have hours of fun with some of his most famous rally machinery. Let us know your favourite Sébastien Loeb WRC car on X @OverTake_gg or down in the comments below!
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