In motorsport, as in life, everything has a beginning and an end. This is the case of Sébastien Loeb and Daniel Elena, who, after 79 victories in the WRC, 119 podiums out of 180 races in the World Championship, will no longer continue together.
At first glance it is not news, but this is not the case. Sébastien Loeb is in talks with M-Sport to return to the WRC starting from 2022 part time and, according to what has been learned from Motorsport.com, the agreement between the parties is one step away, if not already signed.
Yet Loeb will no longer have the 49-year-old Monegasque next to him, who accompanied him in the conquest of 9 WRC world titles and also in many other adventures such as the Dakar with Peugeot and Prodrive BRX.
Daniel Elena, through his social media, has announced that he wants to retire from motorsport in order to focus on his family. “I’m moving on,” he said. “I want to focus on something else. I will turn 50 next year and will not be able to focus on 2 things at the same time. My wife would be the first to tell you this.”
“For me there is still motivation to prepare for a race. Well, it’s gone. With Sébastien we talked about everything, we are great and the friendship remains and will remain intact. We have been friends inside and outside the car.”
This decision comes a few months after the separation between the two which took place after the 43rd edition of the Dakar, with Loeb letting Elena know that she no longer wanted him next to him exactly last March 17th.
Daniel Elena, Hyundai Motorsport
Photo by: Helena El Mokni / Hyundai Motorsport
“Rallye du Val d’Agout 1998, our first victory. The start of our successes but, above all, the start of an indissoluble friendship”, wrote Loeb in the first post, and then continued giving the news that surprised , but perhaps not entirely, enthusiasts and experts.
“After 5 Dakars spent together and after talking with the team, we came to the conclusion that maybe it would be good to try something else. With heartache, Daniel Elena and I will not take part in the 2022 season as teammates.”
“It was not an easy phone call to make, because we spent 23 years together and Daniel is a friend. I don’t have many years left to win the Dakar, so I want to try to play all the cards available. The future will tell if this is one. it was the right decision. But that will not change the relationship I have with Daniel, with whom I have shared many things, “wrote Loeb.
Today Séb paid homage to his friend with a very heartfelt line on his social networks: “A unique story, indelible memories and an unshakable friendship. Thanks for everything, Daniel!”, All seasoned with a very nice celebratory video, which contains all the good moments spent together: from the first victory in the WRC to the last, arrived at the 2018 Rally of Catalonia at the wheel of the Citroen C3 WRC Plus.
Now Loeb will have to look for a new navigator, because the Rallye Monte-Carlo is looming and he should be the one to race behind the wheel of the third Ford Puma Rally1 hybrid of the M-Sport Ford team. It is no coincidence that in these days Loeb completed the second test behind the wheel of the British team’s car, precisely in a test dedicated to the prologue of the WRC 2022.
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