The unique, annual event pitches the world’s best motorsport stars headto-
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 F1 driver, Jenson Button,
and British Touring car (BTCC) ace, Jason Plato were knocked out of the
first round.

The Race of Champions this year included many exhibitions and demo
runs, including Lewis Hamilton in his McLaren Mercedes F1 car and Andy
Priaulx in his triple World Touring Car Championship-winning BMW.
Hamilton, the youngest ever F1 World Champion, was scheduled to face
off against Beijing Olympic cycling hero Chris Hoy, on his racing bike, in a
unique Man vs Machine challenge. However, the challenge was called off
after concerns about the slippery surface of the track.