Team Norway has won the Race of Champions Nations Cup for the first time, with the father and son duo of Petter and Oliver Solberg triumphing over Team USA in the final.
Team USA’s start in the final commenced disastrously, as a mechanical failure for Jimmie Johnson in the Polaris car meant an automatic loss after Petter crossed the finish line to complete his run.
Norway took a 2-0 lead, before Johnson took a point back, besting Oliver in Porsche, which proved to be the trickiest of the cars to navigate on the day.
However, in the next heat, Petter looked comfortable while Colton Herta made a costly mistake in the snow and ice conditions, allowing Team Norway to triumph in the competition.
“When I saw Sebastien Loeb winning Monte Carlo, I said ‘It can’t be so difficult’,” said Petter, moments after winning. “I was so ready for this race. To do it as well with Oliver, it was a big dream, the Race of Champions is so special, for many, many years.”
Preliminary rounds
Team USA’s road to the final began in the preliminary rounds, where it faced off against Team Latin America, with Benito Guerra and Helio Castroneves suiting up together. First blood went to Guerra, however Team USA fought back in the next two heats, before Team Latin America came out on top in the final run.
With lap time countback deciding the outcome, Team USA advanced to the quarter finals and would face either Team Germany or the eROC All Stars.
There was a shock in the first heat of the second preliminary round, as eSports sim racer Lucas Blakeley beat four-time Formula 1 Champion Sebastian Vettel in the Rx2e electric car.
However, Team Germany didn’t go wrong in the remaining three heats, with Vettel and team-mate Mick Schumacher coming out on top over Blakely and Jarno Opmeer to advance to the quarter finals.
Quarter finals
The first quarter final of the day pitched the winners of the two preliminary rounds against each other, with Team USA facing Team Germany. Team Germany and Vettel, who have vast experience and success at the Race of Champions, were the favourites to advance.
However it wasn’t to be as Johnson beat Vettel in the opening heat, before Germany took two wins back with Schumacher beating both Johnson and Herta. In the final heat, Herta came out on top over Vettel, with the lap time count back eliminating Germany and sending the USA into the semi finals.
The second quarter final saw Team Finland go against Great Britain, and it was looking good for the latter, with David Coulthard and Jamie Chadwick besting Mika Hakkinen and Emma Kimilainen in the opening two heats. However a crash for Chadwick in heat three slashed its chances, and with Finland winning the next two rounds, lap time count back saw it progress into the semi final.
Team Nordic of Johan Kristoffersson and Tom Kristensen comfortably beat Team France to move onto the semi finals, with Sebastien Loeb taking the final heat win, after he and team-mate Didier Auriol were eliminated from contention.
Eventual champions Team Norway also beat their semi final rivals Team Sweden 3-1, with Oliver dropping a heat in the third run to Mattias Ekstrom, who was forced out of the competition alongside team-mate Timmy Hansen.
Semi finals
Team USA were the first to advance to the final, as it bested Team Finland in the second last round. After taking a point each in the opening heat, a spin for Hakkinen proved costly in the third run, leaving Herta’s last semi final outing a comfortable drive to the line to book the team’s position in the final.
Team Norway came out on top over Team Nordic in their semi final, advancing on lap time count back after both teams took two heats each.
Final
In the last head-to-head, all four heats saw all four cars used, however in the opening run, Johnson’s Polaris came to a halt shortly after the start, handing the opening heat to the Solberg duo.
It was looking more comfortable for Team Norway after Oliver bested Herta in the Rx2e in the second heat, however Johnson pipped a point back for the USA as he got the better of Petter in the Porsche.
However, a mistake for Herta at the hairpin in the Rallycross car gifted the win to the Solbergs after heat four, meaning a one-off decider wasn’t necessary in order to find a winner.
The Race of Champions will continue on Sunday, February 6, where the individual Champion of Champions will be crowned.
Keyword: Solberg duo of Team Norway beat Team USA in ROC Nations Cup