Rally legend Sebastian Loeb was crowned Champion of Champions for a record-equalling fourth time at the Race of Champions Snow and Ice event in Sweden.
The Frenchman, fresh from his win on the Monte Carlo Rally last month, was too strong for four-time Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel in the final. His achievement matches that of fellow countryman Didier Auriol, who made a ROC return this year.
The full track was used for the individual event, after conditions forced Saturday’s Nations Cup to be run on a shortened layout. The draw was split into two halves, with Vettel prevailing against his fellow circuit racers to meet Loeb, who was the best of the off-road experts, in the final.
Preliminary heats
Four drivers faced a preliminary heat to make the main draw. Colton Herta, one of the stars of the Nations Cup event on Saturday, beat fellow IndyCar star Helio Castroneves in the Polaris PRO XP buggy by 2.6 seconds to make it through. But the second matchup didn’t go to form. Haas Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher, who won all of his heats on Saturday, was upstaged by double W Series champion Jamie Chadwick in the RX Supercar Lites Rallycross machine.
Round of 16
The two preliminary heat-winners faced each other in the first matchup at the wheel of the RX2 electric rallycross car. It was a close affair until Chadwick slid into a snowbank within yards of the finish, handing Herta the win. Four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel beat W Series star Emma Kimilainen by 2.3s in the second heat in the Polaris to progress to the quarter-finals.
The third heat did not go the way of the Finns either. Double F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen, making his debut at the ROC, was unable to match NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson in the Porsche 718 Cayman Clubsport that the Californian shone in on Saturday. Hakkinen’s former McLaren team-mate David Coulthard made a costly error at the start of his heat in the rallycross car. A brush with a snowbank at the first corner proved decisive in the Scot losing out by a narrow 0.4s to Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen.
The second half of the draw was made up of stars from the off-road scene. Oliver Solberg, who shone in Norway’s Nations Cup triumph, beat 2019 Champion of Champions Benito Guerra by almost 3s in the Polaris. But his father Petter was eliminated by just 0.5 against old rival Sebastian Loeb in the following heat.
In a battle between rivals from the FIA World Rallycross championship, 2019 champion Timmy Hansen faced four-time winner Johan Kristoffersson in RX Supercar. The latter progressed after Hansen lost control and slid across into the opposite lane. The final heat was another fascinating duel, with four-time ROC champion facing three-time winner Mattias Ekstrom in the Porsche Cayman. Ekstrom’s more recent experience proved decisive in defeating the French rally legend by almost 6s.
Quarter-finals
Drivers had two opportunities on track at the next stage, with 2015 Champion of Champions Vettel taking on Herta in the first encounter. Vettel took the spoils by 1.6s in the rallycross car and, despite being edged by the American in the Polaris, progressed into the semi-finals on combined times by just 0.354s.
Kristensen beat Johnson by 1.5s in the Polaris and, despite the seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion bouncing back to win the second heat by 0.9s in the rallycross machine, it was the Dane that made it through on combined times.
There was nothing to separate Loeb and Solberg Jnr in the pair’s second heat, with both drivers crossing the line with exactly the same time in the rallycross car. Loeb’s comfortable win in the first heat, at the wheel of the Porsche Cayman, ensured the Frenchman qualified for the semis.
There was another world rallycross matchup in the last of the quarter-finals, with Kristofferson facing fellow Swede Ekstom. Both heats were very close, with Kristofferson edging it by just 0.010s in the RX2e in the opening bout. But Ekstrom responded with a more comfortable victory of 0.5s in the Polaris to make it through.
Semi-finals
The semi-finals featured best-of-three contests. Vettel and Kristensen faced off in the first duel, with the latter’s chances of taking a first ROC crown severely dented by a car problem in the RX2e that handed Vettel a heat one triumph. Vettel made sure of another final appearance by defeating Kristensen by 2s in the second heat, at the wheel of the Polaris.
Fellow three-time ROC champions Loeb and Ekstrom went head-to-head in a thrilling second encounter. Loeb recovered from an early mistake to beat his rival by 1.3s in the Porsche Cayman. Ekstrom responded to defeat the rally legend by 2s in the rallycross machine to set up a deciding heat. With the better combined times, Ekstrom was given the choice of lane for the third race, choosing to start from the inside. But it didn’t help him, with Loeb taking the decisive win in the RX2e, as blizzard conditions made the track increasingly treacherous.
Final
Given his vast off-road experience, Loeb was the overwhelming favourite in the snow against Vettel. The Frenchman nailed home that advantage in the first two heats in the best-of-five contest, winning comfortably in both the Polaris and the rallycross car.
Needing to win to keep his chances alive, Vettel threw caution to the wind in a wild third heat in the RX2e, brushing both the bridge and a snowbank. But a rare mistake from Loeb, who crashed into a snowbank, handed the German victory.
Vettel tried his best to take things to a deciding heat by pushing Loeb all the way, as the pair returned to the Polaris machines. But Loeb prevailed by 0.786s to take his fourth ROC crown.
Featured image credit: @RaceOfChampions official twitter
