Waxing lyrical about world rally star

THEY can’t hold a candle to Sebastien Loeb any more.
No, seriously, because the seven-time World Rally Champion is being made out of wax.
The Citroen Racing driver will be the newest inhabitant of the Grevin Wax Museum, which is the Paris equivalent of London’s Madame Tussauds.
Loeb has the distinction of being the museum’s first rally driver waxwork when his figure is unveiled to the public on October 13. He will be joining figures like Louis XIV, Michael Jackson and George Clooney.
Sculptor Stephane Barret and his team have taken six months creating the rally legend’s wax counterpart.
As with his driving, Loeb wasn’t phased by the creative process. “I’m very flattered to be part of the Grévin museum. It’s an honour and also recognition for our sport as one that’s representative of France. I must say that I was very impressed by the amount of work that went into creating my figure in wax. It was really unbelievable.”
Everything about the star was studied in minute detail, with the result that the final figure is incredibly lifelike.
Since his birth in February 1974 at Haguenau in the French region of Alsace, Loeb has become the most successful rally driver in history. His list of seven world titles and 66 race wins eclipse that of his fellow competitors from the present and the past.
He has always driven Citroen cars and made his debut and scored his first win in 2001 in the French Championship and Junior World Championship. He and co-driver Daniel Elena have claimed seven consecutive world titles and, with just two events to go this season, they have the lead and look likely to claim an eighth.
Loeb’s wax double will be display alongside rugby player Sébastien Chabal and basketball player Tony Parker in the area of the museum dedicated to sports people. The driver will appear in his Citroën Racing suit.
The Grévin, a private museum created in 1882, is in Paris on the ‘Grands Boulevards’ and welcomes almost 800,000 visitors per year.