Sébastien Loeb has made yet more motorsport history by becoming the most successful driver in Race of Champions history.
With four previous victories in the solo ‘Champion of Champions’ contest prior to the 2025 event in Sydney – a record shared with fellow World Rally champion Didier Auriol and current W2RC rival Mattias Ekström – a fifth win elevates Loeb above all others.
The nine-time World Rally champion’s weekend already got off to a winning start as he and Formula 2 driver Victor Martins gave France its first Nations Cup victory since 2004 on Friday, claimed over the Australia (Supercars) lineup of Brodie Kostecki and Will Brown.
For Saturday’s individual contest, Loeb received a bye into the quarter final due to his previous success at the event, while Chaz Mostert – his rival in the final – progressed through his group against Valtteri Bottas and Kurt Busch.
The Australian then saw off four-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel in the quarters before defeating Supercars rival Brown in the semi, while Loeb – on the off-road side of the draw – beat Molly Taylor in his quarter before getting the better of Oliver Solberg in the semis.
Loeb won every single heat race he started on Saturday
Claiming victory in the first race of the final in Polaris RZRs, Loeb doubled up in the second behind the wheel of a FC2 Rallycross to go undefeated across Saturday, and add to his previous Race of Champions victories from 2003, 2005, 2008 and 2022 when it was held on snow and ice.
“I feel very happy and proud for that,” Loeb said. “It’s been an amazing weekend – we won the Nations Cup yesterday with Victor who was amazingly fast, and today to be able to reach the final and to win it was just an amazing moment.
“Honestly yesterday, after the victory in Nations Cup, it was like a relief for me, and I said ‘tomorrow, no pressure, just push’. And it worked.
“This year it was really tight between the drivers, it was an amazing weekend and we won at the end – that’s the most important.”
