Didier Auriol predicts an easy 2008 title for Loeb

The former world champion driver, Didier Auriol, spoke about the current season. The Frenchman believes that despite increased competition, Loeb will have an easy 2008 season and above all, another title in a few months.

Auriol won the title in 1994 driving a Toyota Celica and commented to the Italian magazine Autosprint: « No one will be able to stop Sébastien [Loeb] from winning another championship. »

« It won’t be easy, and not always like in Monte Carlo. Hirvonen could beat him in a good number of weekends like in Finland, but I don’t seriously see who can manage to beat him consistently over the entire season. He is simply much stronger than his rivals.

Auriol, on the other hand, remains perplexed about his large number of victories, flatly beating Sainz’s record: « I still believe that the 37 victories he achieved do not hold the same value as the 26 won by Carlos Sainz. Indeed, he faced much more competition and had to regularly contend with 3 other world champions… »

« Loeb’s talent is undeniable, I raced against Gronholm in the WRC back in the day, and I know how difficult it is to beat him, but it’s not normal that currently, there’s only one driver capable of beating him (Loeb). »

After the Swedish rally and the victory of a young newcomer, Latvala obviously appears to be another key player in the race for the 2008 title. However, Auriol does not see him as a direct threat, as Loeb had to retire.