Can anyone beat Loeb

[Woodeye]

well i feel great sympathy for the finish managers...i think we need a memorial for them and their talents....

Awww... you're back. how cute.

You still haven't told us who are these "managers". Would you please shed some light into this darkness?

[Josti]

easily ....by typing it.

Or, you could show a bit more respect.

they were around their mid 30s which hardly can be called an end...especially Burns and Mcrae and a makinen was never anything good without lampi pulling the strings.

I see 2003 as the year Loeb really got his breakthrough. McRae was in a totally new enviroment with Citroën and he never seemed to get any grip on the Xsara, let alone the team management. You could say that's his own fault, but some combinations JUST don't work out. More or less the same could be said about Burns. The 206 was never his car, but as far as I remember he was more consistent than Loeb, and a title challenger despite no wins. Well, the rest is a sad history, and I think it's unfair to even put him in comparison. Though I tend to agree with Mäkinen (he was way off the pace that season), I think he was just on his retour, and was wise enough to quit. But Mäkinen-Mitsubishi was a dream team, for which the same can be said about Loeb-Citroën. If Loeb made a jump to another team, things might have worked out differently, well, none can ever tell.

I have to say NOT, you take way too little in consideration.

[N.O.T]

Or, you could show a bit more respect.



I see 2003 as the year Loeb really got his breakthrough. McRae was in a totally new enviroment with Citroën and he never seemed to get any grip on the Xsara, let alone the team management. You could say that's his own fault, but some combinations JUST don't work out. More or less the same could be said about Burns. The 206 was never his car, but as far as I remember he was more consistent than Loeb, and a title challenger despite no wins. Well, the rest is a sad history, and I think it's unfair to even put him in comparison. Though I tend to agree with Mäkinen (he was way off the pace that season), I think he was just on his retour, and was wise enough to quit. But Mäkinen-Mitsubishi was a dream team, for which the same can be said about Loeb-Citroën. If Loeb made a jump to another team, things might have worked out differently, well, none can ever tell.

I have to say NOT, you take way too little in consideration.

respect ... hmmm i need to search this word in a dictonary.

for the rest you have some points but still the facts are facts...Loeb ridiculed Mcrae and sainz in the same car and Auriol in a peugeot in his own turf....Makinen was laughable at subaru and in mitsubishi Lampi did a good job with his team mates. Still Loeb in his years of dominance NEVER showed any weakness towards any of his rivals and if some championships were close none really believed that Loeb could fail because of his skills and not the car. All the other champions like Mcare auriol and the rest of the has been armada showed that they were not dominant in any way during their reign.

[Langdale Forest]

Remember that when Makinen was driving the cars were less sophisticated and much less reliable.

[MotorSportAutographs.com]

Hi every one defending Loeb, This is not necessary just read the heading that is above it supports your comments and is the hole reason that i listed it. Loeb is my favorite diver in the wrc and rossi is my favorite in Moto gp, but when i watch both i like to support someone that is more the underdog (Lorenzo in moto gp).
An easy win is not worth watching would be nice to see more real competitors.

[sollitt]

I'm no particular fan of Loeb. In fact I will mostly cheer for any other competitor to win over him. And that's not just because his long winning streak has become monotonous, I have been that way since he began as a rookie.
But rather than wish to see Loeb fail, as in this despicable quote, "I hope that ford guys will fail..", I prefer to see others win.

Neither do I consider him to be the greatest ever but he is unquestionably the winningest.

And that's the thing that many of you miss when you cite your beliefs of why he is so successful - "it's the best car" or "the competitions not good" etc... mere excuses.

The fact is that anyone can win once or twice. And of those that do, we can normally find some external reason why they won.

But real winners, (those who string multiple successes together), whether they be sports people, business people, politcians, whatever, have something special within themselves which is the reason for their success.

People like Loeb would be successful no matter what they do. In fact Loeb was a successful gymnast before he came to rallying. He would have been equally successful as a golfer, a tennis player, a circuit racer or if he were rallying in another era.

It is his ability to assess the landscape, weigh up the opposition and to clinically apply what is needed to compete and ultimately defeat them each & every time that makes him the winner that he is. And that wouldn't change regardless of what he's driving or who he's competing against.

Of the names of past drivers who've been mentioned so far nobody compares, and even extending back through the past four decades only Walter Rorhl would come close.

[MotorSportAutographs.com]

Very true good post

[jens]

Loeb is likely to win the 2010 title in a more comfortable fashion than in 2009 or even 2008. One reason is that Hirvonen has got more rivals now and the chasers are constantly taking points away from each others. Secondly Mikko has already lost too many points on gravel and with 4 tarmac rallies still to come Loeb's advantage could already be decisive even if Seb falls asleep and retires in an odd rally here or there. But at least the fight for P2 in overall standings seems quite exciting.

[bretddog]

Perhaps will be too late for the Loeb party, but whoever is on top in 10 years should watch up for the Rovenpera Jr. (8 years old)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZyyWn...ayer_embedded#

[bretddog]

oops double-post