SébastienLoeb

I’d say it’s a bit of all three. Every difficulty forces us to adjust our strategy, but in rally-raid it’s impossible to control everything. Of course, we try to control as much as we can, but there’s always an element of unpredictability.

After a weekend as frustrating as the one we’ve just had, we also have to accept what lies beyond our control. That’s essential if we’re going to turn the page, refocus and start again the next day.

Patience. It’s essential in rally-raid. In rallying, the main aim is to go as fast as possible. Over the years, of course, I’ve learned to manage my races more carefully, but in rally-raid that goes even further.

Sometimes you have to accept slowing down so you can go faster later. It’s a bit like taking a step back in order to move forward, depending on the terrain, the hazards, the conditions or the unexpected. And for me, it’s still one of the hardest aspects to master.

For me, it’s more another way of pursuing it. Rally-raid has forced me to learn new things, to move beyond what I knew and to improve in areas where, at first, I was naturally less comfortable.

There’s also real satisfaction in being able to do things today that I couldn’t do at the start. Perfection doesn’t really exist, but you can always try to get closer to it by learning, working and constantly improving.

I think the best way to stay alive is to keep doing what you love for as long as you can still do it. I’m lucky to be able to keep racing, to live my passion to the full and to still be approached about exciting projects.

I live life at full speed, but that’s also how I want to live. Competition gives me that adrenaline, that desire to push myself and keep moving forward.

Trust and getting along. At this level, you need complete confidence in the person sitting next to you. In rally-raid, you spend a huge amount of time together and you inevitably go through difficult moments, so you also need to understand each other well. With Édouard, we’ve built that trust and we work well together. Everyone knows their role, we can speak openly and we know we can rely on each other.

A Dakar victory would be a really great achievement. It’s a race I’m still trying to win and, of course, it remains an important goal.

But beyond the result, what still motivates me is being competitive, fighting at the front and continuing to enjoy what I do.