Loeb and Fourmaux retire AS M-sport suffer double heartbreak

Sebastian Loeb’s much awaited return to the WRC Safari Rally after a two-decade absence did not go as expected after he retired at stage five in Kedong, with his M-sport team citing engine problems.

The nine-time rally champion had started the day superbly well winning the first stage of the day (Loldia 1), a result that excited the majority of rally fans in Kenya and across the globe that indeed the battle of the Sebastians was on with Ogier having won Thursday's opening stage.

He followed up that stage win by finishing 7th and 6th in Geothermal 1 and Kedong 1 remaining in the top five overall.

However it’s in the Kedong 1 stage where he seemed to have struggled much, as too much dust hindered his view as well as causing engine problems that ultimately proved the final blow for the day.

“Yeah, so for sure it's frustrating to stop now after three stages because the feeling was good, the car was good with a good job to prepare to have some good notes and to be ready. I think we were so it's a bit frustrating to retire on the old section like this but the rally is really really tough, really rough also we have a lot of fesh fesh, stones and everything so yeah, it's all changed but there's nothing more we can do,” a dejected Loeb remarked.

The long wait for a Safari rally win for the legendary Loeb continues as he now says his Safari toast would be to drive in the scenic Naivasha and savor the rich wildlife heritage here in the country.

“The Safari is over for me but what can I do? Maybe what I can do now is to do a safari to see the elephants but running the car is a bit hard now. The third stage was too tough for the car we have. It’s too much fesh fesh and our car is quiet low so we get a lot of dust inside the car.”

M-sport suffered another heartbreak of the day after Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux retired in the 6th stage (Loldia II) in the afternoon loop leaving only Craig Breen with the uphill task of carrying the team’s flag high.

Once again the WRC Safari rally has proven it has not lost its mean streak with the majority of the drivers being put to the sword by the unforgiving Kenyan roads.