Nine times Rally World Champion Sébastien Loeb will contest the FIA European Rallycross Championship for the first time when he drives in the Rallycross of France at Lohéac on August 31 to September 1.

Loeb will drive a Citroën DS3 SuperCar in the event which forms round seven of the 9-event championship. The 39-year-old, 9-time World Rally Champion has added the RallycrossRX outing to his calendar in a year in which he has embarked on a diverse range of events including rounds of the World Rally Championship, the FIA GT Championship and the Pikes Peak Hill International Climb. The Frenchman has previously driven a Rallycross car in competition only once; using a Citroën DS3 SuperCar to win an X Games gold medal in Los Angeles last July.

“2013 is definitely a year full of challenges. I received an invitation from the [Rallycross Lohéac] organiser Patrick Germain, and I decided to answer positively”, said Loeb. “Apart from the X Games, I have no experience in Rallycross so I will probably have to fight hard against fast specialists in a very high level championship. I enjoyed my experience at the X Games last year and I expect something similar. Lohéac is the temple of Rallycross.  This is a well-known event with always a very big crowd. In a sportive side, this is also a very tough race. I couldn’t let this opportunity to participate at least once in my career pass, especially because it is with a Citroën DS3. I am looking forward to go to Lohéac, meet the fans and race there.”

Rallycross Lohéac, 30km south of Rennes in Brittany, is widely accepted as being the best attended Rallycross event in the world. Regularly attracting more than 30,000 spectators it has been a cornerstone of the French championship for many years and, this year, is included in the FIA European Rallycross Championship for the first time since 2001.

Photo: Sébastien Loeb pictured in the Hansen Motorsport Citroën DS3 SuperCar en route to his 2012 X Games victory. © QBA/ERC24