Loeb admits: Not much more to come on Xsara.

Runway championship leader, Sebastien Loeb reckons that the second half of the 2006 FIA World Rally Championship season could be a lot tougher for him.

Loeb has dominated the year to date, winning five of the eight events and establishing a 29 point advantage at the top of the drivers' championship. However while Ford will continue to work on their car, Loeb won't have that luxury, as Citroen in contrast are busy working on the Xsara's successor, the C4, ahead of their official return to the sport in 2007. As such the Xsara's relative competitiveness compared to the Focus may suffer as the year goes on.

"Since the start of the season at every rally we [Gronholm and I] are fighting together. We have won some, he has won some. It will be the same every time [in the second half of the year]," said Loeb, who is driving a Xsara WRC run by Kronos Racing this year.

"We have an old car now, it's still really, really good, but we have to work on the C4 for next year. Ford will continue [to work on their car]. It may be more difficult for me."

Loeb will head to Germany the next event on the schedule however as the firm favourite, as he has won the event every year since it joined the WRC schedule in 2002.

"At the moment the fight is very close with Marcus. Germany will be interesting; we fought together two or three years ago. I will continue to push and do my best," added the 2004 and 2005 world rally champion. "There's not a lot coming on the Xsara though, we have two more tests: Germany and Finland - and then it's finished testing with it."