Coulthard wins Race of Champions in Riyadh

Following Team Germany’s triumph in last night’s ROC Nations Cup, all cooperation went out of the window today. The individual Race Of Champions pitted some of the world’s best drivers in a range of identical cars – including the Vuhl 05 ROC Edition, Ariel Atom Cup, Xtreme Pickup, Whelen NASCAR, KTM X-Bow Comp R and the ROC Car – on a purpose-built parallel track featuring ROC’s iconic crossover bridge.

On a sunny afternoon in Riyadh, the best-of-three Grand Final boiled down to a battle between two legends of motorsport. But in the end, Coulthard saw off double World Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg in two straight heats to become Champion of Champions for the second time.

Solberg had never been in the Race Of Champions Grand Final before. Coulthard, by contrast, won the Champion of Champions crown in 2014 in Barbados and reached the Grand Final at Wembley in 2008 when he was pipped by Sébastien Loeb. This time it was the Scotsman’s turn for more glory again.

Afterwards, a delighted Coulthard said, “I had to work hard out there and my heart is beating hard now! So thanks to Petter for a great race. He’s a great sport and a great champion. When I went out of the ROC Nations Cup yesterday after winning just one race out of three my son switched off the TV because he thought ‘Daddy’s too old’ so I’m delighted to show him experience can be a good thing too... Today I pushed hard but it’s also about being clean. I touched the wall once over the course of the day but other than that I kept it on the track.

“It’s great to have been part of the first Race Of Champions here in Riyadh too. It’s been a nice atmosphere and the people in the crowd have been treated to non-stop action. So thank you to Fredrik Johnsson and his team for yet another great event. To be honest, I’m always surprised when Fredrik invites me because I don’t race anymore, but I’m delighted when he does. The camaraderie with all the other drivers is special and we’ve had a wonderful welcome here.”

Solberg added, “First of all, congratulations to David. I was doing everything I could to win it, but it wasn’t quite enough today. David drove very well and he has the right mentality so this was very well deserved. He’s a better circuit driver than me, that’s for sure. I still like to be a bit more sideways! But I’m proud and happy to make it to the final against such a strong field.

“I’ve been coming to the Race Of Champions for many years. It’s incredible to get all these great drivers together and it was a great atmosphere again this time. So thank you to everyone watching in the stadium and around the world. We’ve been made to feel really welcome and the passion from everyone involved has been clear. Fredrik and his team have done a fantastic job. I always enjoy this event and I’ll be back...”

In the semi-finals, Coulthard beat ‘Mr Le Mans’ Tom Kristensen, who has been the Race Of Champions runner-up six times and still awaits his first ROC Champion of Champions crown. The other race saw the end of a spirited run by 2017 FIA World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson, who was beaten by his rallycross team-mate Solberg.

A day earlier Team Germany’s World Endurance Champion Timo Bernhard and DTM Champion René Rast celebrated after they took victory in the ROC Nations Cup.

On a chilly evening in the Saudi Arabian capital, legends from the world’s biggest motorsport series' teamed up in pairs to battle for national and regional pride. They raced a mix of cars – including the Vuhl 05 ROC Edition, Ariel Atom Cup, Xtreme Pickup, Whelen NASCAR, KTM X-Bow Comp R and the ROC Car – on a purpose-built parallel track featuring a unique crossover bridge.

Bernhard and Rast prevailed in the final against the might of Team Latin America’s IndyCar legends Juan Pablo Montoya and Helio Castroneves.

Afterward, a delighted Bernhard said, “It was a great team effort today. We made it through to the final, then René put together two good heats. I was not so happy with my heat because I did a small mistake against Helio, but René pulled it off. We know Team Germany have a big history here at the Race Of Champions. In Germany, we call the team ethic ‘Mannschaft’ and there’s something about it that also seems to correlate with motorsport. So we’re very proud to win the ROC Nations Cup.

“To be honest we didn’t have big expectations today, we just wanted to survive the first round. But now we’re very proud to be sitting here with that big trophy. I first came to the Race Of Champions with my Dad when it came to the Nürburgring in 1989. So it’s great to be here at the event for the first time. Now my name will be on this trophy. So it’s a very special honour.”

Rast added, “Here at the Race Of Champions you go up against the best of the best. So there was a lot of pressure in that final race. I won my heat against Juan Pablo, then we had a very close race between Timo and Helio so it went to the finale. But the whole event is so much fun and I’ve really enjoyed being here, driving against these big stars. There are all these names that I used to watch when I was young: in Formula 1, in World Rally, all these different categories. So now to compete against these guys and to end up winning? It’s like a dream come true...”