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Sébastien Loeb loves his realistic new rally game
The nine-time World Rally champion believes Rally Evo could help young drivers learn a few things.
Sébastien Loeb Rally Evo is tough, and that's just how Loeb likes it. On my first play, I tumbled down the mountains outside Monaco so many times that my Citroën DS3 WRC could no longer drive in a straight line. My second play, this time using the incredibly immersive Thrustmaster TX wheel, was better as I bombed down narrow straights at top speeds, feeling the vibrations through my arms as I braked hard for each hairpin. It’s meant to be this way though, for as Sébastien Loeb tells us, he doesn’t enjoy racing games that are far from reality.
This is realistic, alright. So realistic, in fact, that even the nine-time world champion crashed when racing against a YouTuber after our interview (he still won the race). Before then, he had told us about his favourite racing games, and how his game could help a young driver learn the ropes.
More: Sébastien Loeb Rally Evo tips to help you finish firstWatch Sébastien Loeb testing out Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo in the video below:
How does it feel to have your name on a rally game? I’m happy about that, because I was dreaming about being in a rally game when I was a bit younger, and I saw Colin McRae Rally for the first time. I enjoyed playing those games, and to finally have my name on a game now is really nice. Plus, I think it’s a really good game, very realistic on the driving side.
So you’ve always played games, then?
A long time ago. I haven't played so much recently, although I played a bit more in the racing simulator to prepare and have some experience of racing. I played lot of the old games, the WRC, and especially Colin McRae Rally. I don’t play so much now.
So what were your favourite racing games
when you were younger? I only played a few. The first one was Colin McRae on the PlayStation and then it was WRC, the first one which I didn't enjoy as much. Then I played a bit of Gran Turismo, but then I stopped completely, before I started again with the simulator. Then I played iRace, an online game.
Sébastien Loeb Rally Evo
© Milestone
Do you think simulators could help prepare drivers in real life? Max Verstappen said that the F1 simulator has helped him... No, because in Formula One you have maybe 15-20 tracks which you have to model, and you can make it really precise and then you can work on it. In rally, every year you have some new stages, new rallies, every rally is maybe 10 different stages with 250-300 km of different roads – to model everything is impossible. Just by driving, you will not learn a lot. It is far better to drive in reality if you cannot have the exact model of the stages. I think it could work on one stage, but to modelise every stage would be impossible.
Is that where games like this help? Could Sebastien Loeb Rally Evo help younger gamers get into rallying?
Yeah, I think you could also learn a bit. The talent of a driver, maybe you can see it on a simulation game, because I have always been faster than my friends. When I was playing Colin McRae Rally, I didn’t know it then, that one day I would be a rally driver, but I was always the best of my friends in the game. Today is the same, I haven’t played much of the game, but for sure I will beat the guys around here. It means that it is really realistic and a young driver can learn a few things and improve in this kind of game, before driving in reality.
Sébastien Loeb playing Rally Evo. He's quite good.
© Milestone
Do you have any top tips for players who are just starting out with the game?
I think it’s important to have the right set up of the steering and the steering angle. Players need to have the right reactivity of the car. First, to set the parameter so it feels more natural. When I set it for me, I set it so it's quite reactive, like in reality when I do this [mimics moving steering wheel slightly] the car is turning and it’s much more reactive. For me, it feels natural because I’m used to driving and sliding, maybe for you, you do not slide so much with your own car at home.
That's true... You do need to be really careful when steering, accelerating and braking... You can’t go gung-ho with this racing game.
If it’s a hairpin, you cannot arrive flatout and turn; you need to slow down and turn like in reality. It’s a simulation, it’s not a game for everyone of every level, and you need to learn.
What are your favourite cars, rallies or tracks in the game?
All the rallies are different, I enjoy driving on the gravel, because it’s sliding more, it’s more fun. A bit like in reality I like driving in gravel, or snow in Sweden is nice. What I like is to change, so it’s not always the same. It’s a lot of kilometres, different stages and different cars – I normally use the DS3 WRC because that’s what I’m used to, and it’s the one for me that is the most realistic, because every time I’m playing a video game I’m looking for the reality. If it’s far from the reality, I don’t enjoy it.
Sébastien Loeb Rally Evo is out now on PS4, Xbox One and PC.More: 7 best rally games to play during the WRC seasonFollow Red Bull Games on Facebook for more racing game updates.
