Loubet’s circumstances have changed since last year. In the 2023 season, the Frenchman competed in the main class using M-Sport Ford’s Rally1 car, but this year he is driving in the WRC2 class with a Skoda.
Last season was frankly disastrous for Loubet. He had more retirements than expected. He did manage a couple of sixth places, but his performances were too weak overall.
At the end of the season, he no longer secured a spot in the main class.
“We finished the season not on the very easy side – a crash in Chile, we did not even (properly) start the rally in Greece and not a very nice Central European Rally, so I was a bit down at the end of the year. But yes, I tried to stay in WRC because I know I was not able to show my real potential last year,” Loubet tells RallySport Magazine in an interview.
“A few times I showed some great speed. (If) I think about it, it was not so bad, but I was not able to put everything together. All the time it was a mistake from my side or an issue on the car, so I wanted to try again, because I saw that last year even when I was not feeling so good and a bit disappointed about everything, still I was able to try to attack.”
Loubet firmly believes that he had what it takes to compete in the main class this year too. But now, he is looking to regain his pace from the WRC2 class.
Loubet admits that the situation is hard to accept. He understands that he is not the only driver who has faced such circumstances.
“For the moment it’s not so easy on my side, but still I’m close to the top level. It’s never easy – some people or some maybe more talented drivers make it more easy like Kalle (Rovanperä), but I don’t think it’s been easy for anyone in WRC actually,” Loubet says.
“If you look at (Ott) Tänak, (Elfyn) Evans, Adrien (Fourmaux), Thierry (Neuville), everybody has some very difficult moments at the start of their career, so I accept it and just need to continue to believe and to try to work.”
With Loubet sidelined, the British team decided to support another French driver. Adrien Fourmaux spent last year finding himself in the WRC2 class, but this year he has been nothing short of sensational behind the wheel of the Ford Puma Rally1.
In Sweden, he secured his first podium finish by coming third, and in the Safari Rally in Kenya, he was on the podium again in consecutive events. In the Croatia Rally, he clinched first place on the Power Stage.
One might imagine that Loubet has watched Fourmaux’s meteoric rise to third in the championship with some bitterness. According to Loubet, however, he feels no resentment.
“To be honest, if Adrien wasn’t fast and made it, I would be disappointed, but I think Adrien showed in the past great speed and he never gives up, so I am not disappointed or jealous or something like that,” Loubet reflects.
“Adrien really deserves it, so you need to accept it. There are some other personalities in this sport who are quite angry when they see other people make better than them, but me? I have always been educated on the side where I think first you fight against you.”
The one thing that has troubled Loubet about last year at M-Sport is this:
“I had a lot, a lot of problems last year – that is the truth and this year they found it. The car is more reliable, so that is a bit difficult.”
Loubet is set to compete in the full season WRC2 class this year. In Portugal, he will immediately measure his speed against the class’s elite, as the event includes drivers such as Oliver Solberg, Yohan Rossel, Gus Greensmith, Sami Pajari, and Teemu Suninen.
