Sebastien Loeb: Hard work will be key to Mexico success

Sebastien Loeb: Hard work will be key to Mexico success

Sebastien Loeb, the eight-time World Rally Championship (WRC) title winner, has said that his past success in Mexico is purely the result of hard work.

The Citroen Ds3 driver insists there is no "secret magic ingredient" to his achievements.

And the French rally ace has revealed that he expects much of the same when the WRC season moves on to the Rally Guanajuato Mexico from March 8th to 11th.

Should Loeb and co-driver Daniel Elena emerge victorious in Mexico, it will be the sixth successive time that they have won the event.

However, the star is taking nothing for granted and anticipates a challenging time later this week.

"There is no secret formula � it just comes down to a lot of hard work with the entire team. I have always felt comfortable on the stages here in Mexico, despite often having to cope with being first out on the road," Loeb explained.

"Fortunately, this aspect won't come into play this year thanks to the Qualifying Stage and I will be able fight fairly with the other drivers from day one."

Explaining his success in previous years, Loeb revealed his fondness for the track in Mexico.

"It's always an enjoyable event. It’s sunny, the stages are great fun to drive and you can see that the fans love it. The mountain roads are generally fairly wide and quick. Of course, there are some winding, narrow sections where you have to be more careful, but by and large it’s a rally that is fun to drive," he added.

Loeb was pushed to the edge in last year's Mexico race, when a broken selector pin saw him stuck in third gear and eventually led to a 50-second penalty.

With new team-mate Mikko Hirvonen quickly getting to grips with the Citroen Ds3, Loeb is unlikely to be able to ride his luck as much this time round.

Posted by Craig Salter