Sebastien Loeb vs.....

Let we all hope that pay drivers will never be champs. If anyone should, let it be Ogier.

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Originally Posted by Barreis

Let we all hope that pay drivers will never be champs...

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Why?

My opinion. It doesn't have to be yours.

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Originally Posted by Barreis

My opinion. It doesn't have to be yours.

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But if a pay driver is good enough (as opposed to the championship being weak) then what difference does it make? And how do you define a pay driver? Carlos Sainz used to bring big sponsorship with Movistar that would make him more attractive to teams.

Maybe I'm dreamer, but in my eyes it's fair that Loeb is champ for years and he came from nothing, just pure talent with work.

Loeb had also very good sponsors in his early days and before WRC he was largely sponsored by FFSA if I recall correctly. Every works drivers has been sponsored or paid for his own drive. Nothing special, why do you make such fuss about it?

Every federation should do the same, that's not their own money, it' federations and that's good that driver can go further that way.

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Originally Posted by Barreis

Maybe I'm dreamer, but in my eyes it's fair that Loeb is champ for years and he came from nothing, just pure talent with work.

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I don't disagree with you here. But if Loeb happened to have achieved the same by using only his own resources ... is he any less worthy?

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Originally Posted by sollitt

I don't disagree with you here. But if Loeb happened to have achieved the same by using only his own resources ... is he any less worthy?

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Could that be called - "doing a Vatenan" ?

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Originally Posted by cali

Loeb had also very good sponsors in his early days and before WRC he was largely sponsored by FFSA if I recall correctly. Every works drivers has been sponsored or paid for his own drive. Nothing special, why do you make such fuss about it?

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Not really.

Loeb had two average Alsace entrepreneurs : Rémy Mammosser and Dominique Heintz (former military and moto rally raid) with limited resources helping him starting local events and he wasn't paid at all.

But they were there at the right moment.

They acquired a 106 Rallye 1.3 in which Loeb started to show his pace in real rallies after the Rallye Jeunes operation and FFSA help was very far to be sufficient : Loeb was a rookie electricity technician with virtually no funds and Daniel Elena was broke when they both met.

It was even about to stop when Loeb crashed out twice in the Saxo Trophy 98. Only good will and help from other people re-put him on the tracks.

The first official help came in 2000 with FFSA (Corolla WRC) and Auriol advising Loeb.

One remarkable thing is that it took ages to Citroën to eventually hire him despite all evidences.