Loeb staying at Citroen

Sebastian Loeb will stay at Citroen for another two years after signing a new contract with the French manufacturer

Seven-time WRC champion signs new two-year deal

Seven-time World Rally champion Sebastian Loeb will stay at Citroen for another two years after signing a new contract with the French manufacturer. The move ends any speculation the 37-year-old Frenchman, who is the current leader of this season's championship standings, could retire at the end of the season. It also quashes rumours that he could spearhead Volkswagen's new World Rally Championship team. Loeb said: "With the arrival of other manufacturers in the championship, the competition is going to get tougher in the years to come. "All the more so with the rule changes concerning the starting order coming in in 2012 as all the drivers will be fighting on a level playing field. "To take the fight to them I'm putting my trust in Citroen, a team I know inside out and the DS3 WRC, the car that I helped [develop] with Citroen Racing." Loeb joined the factory Citroen team in 2001, winning his first rally the following year and claiming his maiden title in 2004. "Sebastien Loeb is a great ambassador for the make. Today, his image and ours are intimately linked," Citroen general manager Frederic Banzet added. "We're proud of his loyalty to Citroen and of the fact that he's continuing with his career with the team that's supported him since his debut."