Sebastien Ogier wins Race of Champions
Championships 2011 being ended, the Race of Champions was featured last weekend. Sixteen pilots international palmares well filled competed in this prestigious competition, which was held for the second consecutive year, in the stage of Dusseldorf (Germany).
Obviously, the local public had eyes for Sebastian Vettel, the new double world champion in Formula 1, without forgetting Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button, Sebastien Ogier, Travis Pastrana, Vitaly Petrov, David Coulthard and other Featured invitees. All the controls of various cars, from the Audi R8 LMS has the Skoda Fabia Super 2000 rally through the amazing KTM X-Bow. Drivers battled for a few laps of the circuit very narrow asphalt, a track inside this stage usually reserve for soccer competitions and the principle of elimination races until the final.
After having eliminated in the quarterfinals Vettel, Michael Schumacher was in turn drive out the competition in the semi final against Dane Tom Kristensen (8 times winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans). The latter found in the French Sebastien Ogier final. A duel between drivers VW group since Kristensen is spearheading Team Audi Sport Endurance while Ogier Citroen has recently left for Volkswagen, who makes his return to the World Rally Championship in 2012.
Although qu'habitue the competition, Kristensen concede the final victory Ogier, which it was the first presence at the event. Sebastien Ogier and succeeds to a palmares Filipe Albuquerque (2010), Mattias Ekstrom or Sebastien Loeb (absent this year).
Yesterday, still at the stage of Dusseldorf, the Nations Cup was presented, pitting pilots same but this time grouped by country.
In fact countries on eight REPRESENTED nations, there were two German teams, a French, an American, a slave, a representative of the Nordic countries of Europe, one English and one "all nationalities". A little thin as a tray, but the condensed schedule does not allow for more teams and drivers prompts.
In the final, the Nordic team composed of Tom Kristensen and former champion IRC rally, the Finn Juho Hanninen is tilted to the first German team, composed a duet for the less prestigious, with Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher! For local public, it was euphoria, especially as it is the fifth year in a row that Germany won this event ...
In any other context, the 2011-12 season of Trophee Andros (France Championship Ice Racing) has also debuted last weekend on the circuit of Val Thorens. Two former world champions Formula 1 registered or Alain Prost (Dacia Lodgy) and Jacques Villeneuve (Skoda Fabia). The victory went to Benjamin Riviere on Saturday and Sunday Olivier Panis, both of Skoda. Prost was the ninth grade and fifth and eighth and fourteenth Villeneuve.
