Sebastian Loeb to retire at the end of 2011 season

[racingmachine]

Sebastien Loeb has admitted next season could be his last in the World Rally Championship. In an interview with French magazine Paris-Match, the 36-year-old said that he would decide after next season whether to call it a day.
Loeb, who took his first top-level victory in Germany in 2002 and, to date, has won 59 events and six world titles, looks set to clinch his seventh drivers' world championship on his home WRC round in France next month.
There had been speculation that Loeb would retire at the end of this season, but he signed a one-year extension with Citroen - the manufacturer with which he has spent almost his entire career - in the summer.
"I feel I have taken enough risks and I am not ready to take any more," he said. "My motivation now is the pleasure [of the sport]."
He insisted that his decision would not be influenced by the arrival of rising French star Sebastien Ogier in the works Citroen team.
"It is not him who is marking the end of my career," said Loeb. "It is me who is making the decision."

It will definitely be end of an era. Seb looks set to win this year championship. Though he has been winning championships for god-knows-how long, none of the seasons have felt monotonous (like the schumi-ferrari era). I wonder if there will be enough oomph left in the championship once he retires. I mean, he has always been the man to beat.

His namesake, Sebastian Ogier, is definitely a prime candidate to fill his shoes, but none compared to him.

What do you guys think, is he retiring to soon? Should he have stayed on for a little while longer?

Source : autosport.com - WRC News: Loeb pondering retirement after '11

[megazoid]

Having followed Loeb right from the day he started, it does feel weird to think of an era without him. While it had to end sometime, very few people have dominated sport this way. Someone head and shoulders above the rest. Can only think of Sergei Bubka in the same vein.

What seems remarkable is his ability to be on the limit without looking like a kamikaze pilot. When Colin Mcrae drove, it was anybody's guess whether he would make it alive. No wonder Seb is called as "the machine" in WRC.

Well, i don't think he is retiring too soon. He has just had a nice long run and does not want to take any more risks. He probably thinks differently than Indian cricketers who keep playing until their bodies die on them.