One week before Rally Australia 2005
To finish the season on a high note, Sebastien Loeb and Francois Duval will try to give another victory to Citroen in the last round of the World Rally Championship, Rally Australia.

Questions to Sebastien Loeb
Citroen has announced that it will return to the World Rally Championship in 2007. What is your reaction to that news now that your future is clear?
"Above all, I am delighted for the team that Citroen has taken the decision we were all hoping for. I am also personally relieved. It means I ticked the right box when I took the risk of waiting. I am also thrilled about the prospect of contributing to the development of the C4 WRC practically from the outset. When Guy Frequelin gave me a Xsara WRC for the 2001 Sanremo Rally, the car was already very quick on asphalt. This time I will be able to watch the new `baby` grow up. Not only that, but I will also be one of the people who raise it. It`s a responsibility and an exciting challenge that is new to me… I can`t wait to get started!"

Before that, there is your extraordinary season to finish in Perth…
"To be honest, the idea of the long trip out to Perth after taking in Great Britain, Japan, Corsica and Catalonia in the space of barely a month and a half doesn`t exactly make me jump for joy. Having said that, once the rally gets going, it will be business as usual and I am looking forward to driving there and I will be out to win. If we don`t, it won`t be a catastrophe, but I intend to give it my best shot. When I finished 2nd in Australia two years ago it marked a big step in my career. After that, I was considered to be a potential winner everywhere. I won outright in 2004, so defending that win is another very good reason to go for victory again this time round."

We haven`t mentioned the phenomenon of `road sweeping` duty on Day 1 for some time. In Australia, however, it`s a topic that can`t really be ignored…
"These past two years, running first on the road has been less of a handicap because of rain prior to the start which helped limit the damage. There are a number of different scenarios which can vary from stage to stage. At times, you have to cut a line through the famous top-coating of marbles, at others you come across clear lines left by the cars during recce. But even then, it is difficult to stick to them when you`re pushing hard. To help boost morale, it is often said that the drivers running second and third on the road are more or less in the same boat, but sometimes it only takes the line cleared by one car – namely mine – for them to be able to get down to the road`s hard-packed base. The split times show that we take a hiding but there is nothing we can do about it. For sure, it`s irritating. But the danger is allowing that irritation to lead you into doing something stupid. The first leg in Australia is therefore an object lesson in patience. You just have to drive as well as you can on the Friday and then take stock at the end of the day to see what sort of result is realistic."

Questions to Francois Duval


You competed for the first time in 2001 when you finished 3rd in Group N. What were your first impressions of the country and the stages?
"Fantastic! I had never seen a kangaroo before. It was huge fun and I had a great week. Recce went well and, as a Group N runner, we started the stages after a high number of cars had already been through. The ground had therefore been cleared so we weren`t faced with the traditional problem posed by the Australian marbles."

You have driven a WRC car in this event three times now, and last year you finished on the podium…
"In 2002, I retired after hitting a small tree with my door. In 2003, I was slowed by hydraulic problems I think. Last year, everything went well. In a WRC car, the stages are sometimes very slippery but I have often benefited from a favourable road order. This time, I will be fifth on the road on the Friday I think. It will probably still be a little difficult and very slippery. A good position, in Australia, is at least tenth on the road."

Guy Frequelin has decided to give his drivers a free rein. What sort of result do you hope to achieve?

Tags: australia, citroen, loeb, duval, elena, smeets,