Race Of Champions ROC Schumacher Vettel and Loeb

Loeb, the five times World Rally (WRC) champion, kept his composure despite fierce pressure from fellow finalist, Britain’s David Coulthard, to become the champion of champions.

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.

Team Germany retained their title in The Race Of Champions Nations Cup at Wembley Stadium. The reunited pairing of seven-time F1 champion, Michael Schumacher, and F1’s youngest ever race winner, Sebastian Vettel, never looked troubled as they powered undefeated through the heat events before beating Team Scandinavia in the final.

The Race Of Champions, which brings together the best stars of motorsport from around the world, descended on Wembley Stadium for the second year, bringing its purpose-built tarmac race track and selection of high-performance cars to transform the football pitch to an adrenalin-fuelled amphitheatre. Taking the fight to the victorious German duo was the Team Scandinavia pairing of Le Mans 24 hour winner, Tom Kristensen and former German touring car (DTM) champion, Mattias Ekstrom.

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pic 1: Wembley Stadium
pic 2: Race of Champions 2008 at Wembley Stadium. Lewis Hamilton does a few donuts in his F1 car

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pic 1: Race of Champions 2008 at Wembley Stadium. Christmas-themed cheerleaders
pic 2: Race of Champions 2008 at Wembley Stadium. The full drivers' line-up supporting the Institute for Brain and Spinal Cord Disorders (www.icm-institute.org)

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pic 1: Michael Schumacher Race of Champions 2008
pic 2: Michael Schumacher and Vettel Race of Champions 2008

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pic 1: Michael Schumacher Vettel Germany Race of Champions 2008
pic 2: Michael Schumacher Race of Champions 2008

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pic 1: Michael Schumacher Race of Champions 2008
pic 2: Michael Schumacher and Carroll Race of Champions 2008

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pic 1: David Coultard DC
pic 2:David Coultard DC

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pic 1: Lewis Hamilton
pic 2: At the Race of Champions 2008 at Wembley Stadium. Team USA's Carl Edwards and Travis Pastrana

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pic 1: Race of Champions 2008 at Wembley Stadium. Terry Grant completes a whole lap of Wembley on two wheels
pic 2: Race of Champions 2008 at Wembley Stadium. Sébastien Loeb after winning the Race Of Champions tournament