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The brand
new 500 Abarth Assetto Corse has warmed up in style for
its new one-make championships next year by making its
track debut taking part in the Race of Champions
extravaganza at Wembley stadium over the weekend.
Sebastian Loeb, the
five times World Rally (WRC) champion, kept his
composure yesterday despite fierce pressure from fellow
finalist, Britain’s David Coulthard, to become the
champion of champions. The unique, annual event pitches
the world’s best motorsport stars head- to-head in equal
machinery on a tight and twisty, temporary tarmac track
constructed atop of Wembley’s famous pitch.
With a best-of-three format for the final, Frenchman
Loeb took the honours in the first race to put the
pressure on the newly retired F1 driver. Coulthard
responded in spectacular fashion, giving the massive
British crowd hope of a home victory by piloting to
victory in the second heat, driving the KTM X-Bow. With
the stage set for a thrilling finale, the two driving
greats turned the famous football stadium into a
adrenalin-fuelled amphitheatre; slipping and sliding the
purpose-built ROC Cars to a nail-biting finish with Loeb
taking the honours by just 0.3 seconds.
Fresh from
sealing his third ROC crown, Loeb said: “For sure, when
you are on the start line, you want to win, but with
this event there is not too much pressure. It’s a very
tight track and you have to give everything you can. I
didn’t get as much experience as some of the others, as
I only did one ROC Nations Cup race, but it was a good
weekend for me.” Despite finishing runner-up, Scotland’s
Coulthard was still smiling: “The ROC is a totally
unique event, and it’s always a pleasure to take part,
even if you don’t win. I think there were some very
exciting racing, and there’s nothing quite like being
able to see the whole track. “It was a very entertaining
afternoon for the British race fans, and I did my best
to keep KTM busy by crashing a couple of their cars.”
This year’s
ROC attracted 46,312 spectators despite the chilly
December evening. Last year’s winner at Wembley’s
inaugural staging of event, former DTM (German touring
cars) champion, Mattias Ekstrom, was knocked out of the
semi finals by Britain’s own Andy Priaulx. Priaulx, the
three-time World Touring car (WTCC) champion, was beaten
by Loeb in the semi-finals, preventing the chance of an
all-British final. Other shock, early exits from the
unique motorsport event came from the two-time ROC
Nations Cup champions, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian
Vettel. Schumacher, the seven-time F1 champion,
performed flawlessly in the earlier Nations Cup events
to regain the title for Germany, but was knocked out of
the first round of the driver’s event after a mistake.
Britain’s other hopes for success ended early, as
Formula 1 driver, Jenson Button, and British Touring car
(BTCC) ace, Jason Plato were knocked out of the first
round.
Meanwhile, prior
to Loeb's final victory, Team Germany retained their title
in The Race Of Champions Nations Cup at Wembley Stadium. The
reunited pairing of seven-time F1 champion, Michael
Schumacher, and F1’s youngest ever race winner, Sebastian
Vettel, never looked troubled as they powered undefeated
through the heat events before beating Team Scandinavia in
the final.
Taking the fight
to the victorious German duo was the Team Scandinavia
pairing of Le Mans 24 hour winner, Tom Kristensen and former
German touring car (DTM) champion, Mattias Ekstrom. With the
narrow and technical circuit suffering from overnight rain,
spectators were treated some of the best machine control as
the fiercely competitive drivers pushed a selection of race
cars through their paces. With the host nation allowed to
field two teams, the UK’s star-studded offerings of Team F1
Great Britain, with David Coulthard and Jenson Button, and
Team Autosport Great Britain, with three-time World Touring
car champion (WTCC), Andy Priaulx, and British Touring Car (BTCC)
ace, Jason Plato, lasted as long as the semi finals.
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