Editing Sébastien Loeb (section)

====Early career====
[[File:Loeb elena.jpg|thumb|left|Loeb and Elena at the 2001 [[Rally Finland]]]]
Loeb initially competed as a [[gymnast]] and became a four-time Alsatian champion, once champion of the French Grand East, and fifth in the French championship.<ref name="Loeb's biography">{{cite web |url=http://www.sebastienloeb.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=20&idcontent=21&Itemid=35 |title=Sébastien Loeb's Official Website&nbsp;– biography |access-date=28 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070815011436/http://www.sebastienloeb.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=blogcategory&id=20&idcontent=21&Itemid=35 |archive-date=15 August 2007 |url-status=live}}</ref> He broke off school in 1992 but resumed taking classes in 1994, aiming at vocational training in [[electrical engineering]]. On {{Nowrap|12 September}} 1994, in parallel with his classes, he started working as an electrician at the Socalec company near [[Haguenau Airport]], where he was the oldest apprentice and already noted for his daring/reckless driving style. On this level, he could count on the understanding of his boss, who was himself fascinated by speed and owned a [[Ferrari Testarossa#512 TR|Ferrari Testarossa 512 TR]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20100909205404/http://www.dna.fr/fr/rallye-actu/info/3738394-LA-VIE-D-AVANT-Celui-qui-tirait-des-cables ''Celui qui tirait des câbles''], Les Dernières Nouvelles d'Alsace, 7 September 2010, on wayback.archive.org {{in lang|fr}}</ref>

In 1995, at age 21, he quit his job and classes and definitively turned his attention to racing. In 1998, he started entering events in the French [[Citroën Saxo]] Trophy series, winning the title in 1999. [[Guy Fréquelin]], [[Citroën World Rally Team|Citroën Sport]]'s team principal, would serve as Loeb's mentor as he entered the [[Junior World Rally Championship]] in 2001, becoming the series' first champion by winning five of the six events. The only event he didn't win this year was [[Rallye Sanremo]]: for this event, he was elected as a driver for the WRC championship, driving a [[Citroën Xsara WRC]] alongside [[Philippe Bugalski]] and [[Jesús Puras]]. In only his third rally with a [[World Rally Car]], he surprisingly hounded [[Peugeot]] tarmac specialist and eventual victor [[Gilles Panizzi]] to the finish, and ended up second.