Michael Schumacher, born January 3, 1969 in Hurth-Hermulheim, Germany and countryman Sebastian Vettel, born on July 3, 1987 in Heppenheim, Germany, worked together to defend the Race of Champions Nations Cup title on Sunday, December 14, 2008 at Wembley Stadium. Brought together to defend the prestigious international competition for Germany, Schumacher, a seven-time Formula 1 World Champion and 91-time race winner and Vettel, the youngest race winner in Formula 1 history (he won the 2008 Italian Grand Prix at 21 years and 74 days of age) soundly defeated every national team that lined up against them, including Team Scandinavia (consisting of Le Mans 24 hour winner Tom Kristensen and former German DTM Champion Mattias Ekstrom) in the finals.
Presented on thin, sinuous, two-lane blacktop track laid upon the floor of Wembley Stadium, the Race of Champions Nations Cup gathered up a number of the world’s finest auto racers and put them head to head in an eclectic mix of radically different race cars.
In the opening race of the final and in a RoC buggy, Michael Schumacher defeated Tom Kristensen by 0.173s. However, Mattias Ekstrom returned the favor by taking the measure of Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Sebastian Vettel in a X-Bow car. All things being equal, the Nation’s Cup title all boiled down to a one race, “winner take all” affair between Schumacher and Ekstrom. Scuderia Ferrari advisor Schumacher led the green flag lap by a minimal as Ekstrom hung a wheel over a curb and lost a few precious tenths of a second. From there, Schumacher kept it pinned, racing away on the second lap to snag Germany's second straight Nations title.
Germany won the Race of Champions Cup by first defeating Team Ireland in the opening round, Schumacher defeating Adam Carroll and Vettel getting the better of Gareth MacHale. Next up was Great Britain, Michael Schumacher taking down recently retired F1 racer David Coulthard after the Scotsman crashed his X-Bow car. Sebastian Vettel did his part for the German way of motor racing life by out performing British touring car ace Jason Plato in an RX150 buggy.
Team USA never made it out of the first round in Wembley as Autosport Team Great Britain sent 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup runner-up Carl Edwards and U.S. rally and drifting star Tanner Foust home from the onset. Edwards crashed his car went sent out to race with Honda Formula 1 wheelman Jenson Button while Tanner’s motor diesd when up against three-time World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx.
Presented on thin, sinuous, two-lane blacktop track laid upon the floor of Wembley Stadium, the Race of Champions Nations Cup gathered up a number of the world’s finest auto racers and put them head to head in an eclectic mix of radically different race cars.
In the opening race of the final and in a RoC buggy, Michael Schumacher defeated Tom Kristensen by 0.173s. However, Mattias Ekstrom returned the favor by taking the measure of Scuderia Toro Rosso driver Sebastian Vettel in a X-Bow car. All things being equal, the Nation’s Cup title all boiled down to a one race, “winner take all” affair between Schumacher and Ekstrom. Scuderia Ferrari advisor Schumacher led the green flag lap by a minimal as Ekstrom hung a wheel over a curb and lost a few precious tenths of a second. From there, Schumacher kept it pinned, racing away on the second lap to snag Germany's second straight Nations title.
Germany won the Race of Champions Cup by first defeating Team Ireland in the opening round, Schumacher defeating Adam Carroll and Vettel getting the better of Gareth MacHale. Next up was Great Britain, Michael Schumacher taking down recently retired F1 racer David Coulthard after the Scotsman crashed his X-Bow car. Sebastian Vettel did his part for the German way of motor racing life by out performing British touring car ace Jason Plato in an RX150 buggy.
Team USA never made it out of the first round in Wembley as Autosport Team Great Britain sent 2008 NASCAR Sprint Cup runner-up Carl Edwards and U.S. rally and drifting star Tanner Foust home from the onset. Edwards crashed his car went sent out to race with Honda Formula 1 wheelman Jenson Button while Tanner’s motor diesd when up against three-time World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx.
