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WTCC Macau: Loeb: Macau closest thing to rallying…

Sebastien Loeb suggests the demanding Macau street circuit represents the closest thing he will get to rallying during track racing as he prepares to make his WTCC bow there.
Sebastien Loeb
Sebastien Loeb
The nine-time World Rally Champion will bring the curtain down on a successful first full season of track racing in Macau, the Frenchman acquitting himself successfully with Citroen by notching up two wins in Morocco and Slovakia, while he heads into the 2014 finale with an outside shot at the runners-up spot too.

Not his first visit to Macau, Loeb suggests the unforgiving layout of high and low-speed bends flanked by walls makes this the closest thing he will get to rallying in the WTCC.

“I took part in a race in Macau last year, to prepare for this year,” he explains. “I found it a fun circuit. There’s a really fast section along the seafront, then a winding, hilly sequence, with testing combinations, crossroads, and the famous Melco hairpin.

“It’s always hard to compare rallying and track racing, but it’s probably the closest to what I’m used to! More than ever, qualifying will be crucial if I want to have a chance of coming out on top. I’m really keen to round off my first FIA WTCC campaign with a good result.”