2010 Race of Champions

Wikipedia explains that RoC as :

The Race of Champions is an international motorsport event held at the end of each year, featuring some of the world's best racing and rally drivers. It is the only competition in the world where stars from Formula One, World Rally Championship, NASCAR, sportscars and touring cars compete against each other, going head-to-head in identical cars.

What it really is, is just another race for all of our favourite Formula One starts to show off in! The 2010 race was no different.

Full list of drivers confirmed for the 2010 Race of Champions:

· Sebastian VETTEL, 2010 Formula 1 World Champion
· Michael SCHUMACHER, Seven-time Formula 1 World Champion
· Alain PROST, Four-time Formula 1 World Champion
· Sébastien LOEB, Seven-time World Rally Champion
· Mick DOOHAN, Five-time World 500cc Motorcycling Champion
· Tanner FOUST, 2010 X-Games rally and rallycross gold medallist
· Heikki KOVALAINEN, Formula 1 grand prix winner
· Tom KRISTENSEN, Eight-time Le Mans 24-Hour race winner
· Andy PRIAULX, Three-time World Touring Car Champion
· Jason PLATO, Two-time British Touring Car Champion
· Alvaro PARENTE, GP2 race winner & winner ROC South Europe 2010
· Filipe ALBUQUERQUE, A1GP race winner & winner ROC South Europe 2010
· Jeroen BLEEKEMOLEN, Two-time Porsche Supercup Champion
· Bertrand BAGUETTE, 2009 World Series by Renault Champion
· Carl EDWARDS, 2007 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion
· Travis PASTRANA, Eleven-time X-Games gold medallist

The year we saw some fantastic racing in the infamous R8's and we also saw some fantastic crashes.  Hekki Kovalainen put forth a spectacular drive and crash this year. Representing Team Nordic, the 29-year-old Finn appeared to wobble down the home-straight before careering into a wall, ripping several feet of trackside from the ground. And as the partition came smashing down around him, one marshal was particularly lucky to avoid serious injury.


In a repeat of the last two ROC Nations Cup finals, Team Germany lined up against Team Great Britian. For the final showdown.

Down to the line, Vettel and Schumacher managed to clinch the Nations Cup win over Andy Priaulx and Jason Plato in a 'race to the death' nicked names for all fans alike. Team Germany went up against team Great Britain in the final showdown. Jason Plato lost out to Schumacher in his race but, Andy Priaulx managed to overhaul Vettel to go up against the Mercedes GP driver with the latter taking victory by just under a second. Leaving Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher the most successful pairing in RoC history to date.

After such an exciting ROC Nations Cup, the drivers gave their reaction to events. Here's what some of them had to say:
 

Michael Schumacher (Team Germany): "It is special because we had won this three times in a row which was great anyway. So to do it a fourth time here in Germany, considering we were almost knocked out in the group stages, is fantastic - we are more than happy. The crowd were very supportive tonight; they were cheering us all the way and with Sebastian having just won the world championship it was even more emotional and fun out there tonight. After the group stages we definitely needed to wake up - it felt like we were asleep. But when we were in the final, against the British guys, I thought we had a good chance."

Sebastian Vettel (Team Germany): "The moment I went out on to the track everyone stood up and went crazy. It was a really cool night for all the fans, as well as for Michael and myself to get so much support. It was extremely close in the first round and we thought we might get knocked out. But I was lucky I had Michael on my team. It was a fun experience and to win at home, the first time in many years that The Race of Champions has been held in Germany, is very special."

Andy Priaulx (Team GB): "To race against Michael Schumacher is always a privilege and we were beaten by two good guys tonight. I had some good races today, particularly the one against Sebastian Vettel. I beat the current Formula 1 world champion which is not bad for an old touring car driver! That is three years in a row I have lost out in the final after losing to Germany at Wembley and then Beijing. I really wanted to get it today but it is great to be here and we did well."

Jason Plato (Team GB): "For lots of reasons we really wanted to win that one but in the end we weren't quick enough. I let the side down a bit as I wasn't on the top of my game when Andy certainly was. We gave it a good shot - close but no cigar."

Bertrand Baguette (Team Benelux): "I had a lot of fun and for me racing against Michael Schumacher, Sebastien Loeb and Alain Prost is a dream. It went quite well but unfortunately we didn't make it to the final. I have to say I am happy for the people who voted for me to be here as part of Team Benelux. I am really proud to be here and very happy I could be here thanks to them."

Heikki Kovalainen (Team Nordic): "That's the way it is sometimes. I managed to do well in my races and win all three but we had tough opponents. It is nothing to be ashamed of; just the way it is and next year we have to come back a bit stronger."

Tom Kristensen (Team Nordic): "It is frustrating to be eliminated in the first round. Heikki did a fantastic job to win all his races and it would have been nice to progress but there's always next time. It makes me even more determined to do better tomorrow. You don't need to use the cars on Monday so everyone will push even harder!"

Carl Edwards (Team USA): "I had fun driving and I am excited for tomorrow when I need to redeem myself. I don't know what went wrong; I was just slower than I was yesterday. I was much faster yesterday, especially in the KTM, but there is no excuse, it was just me. I will run better tomorrow, I'm sure."

Travis Pastrana (Team USA): "It felt really good to beat Sebastian Vettel in the first round and it was just really cool to race him because I have so much respect for him. It's unfortunate we couldn't go through but it was awesome having Carl Edwards over here and driving alongside me for Team USA. It was a bit tough for us out there but now I'm looking forward to tomorrow."

Mick Doohan (Team All Stars): "That was an absolutely fantastic experience, really enjoyable. I was surprised to beat Carl Edwards because he spends all his year driving cars so I enjoyed that. This is a lot of fun for me and I just enjoy driving these cars against these drivers. I have a blast and if I can come close to these guys I am really happy."

Alvaro Parente (Team Portugal): "I got the puncture during the run so I hit the wall because of that. Already on the straight the car didn't feel quite right so maybe I could have stopped there but I am a racing driver so I tried to push on. The puncture cost us the chance to go through but that was just down to bad luck and I'll try to get a better result tomorrow."