ROC 2019: Team Nordic and Benito Guerra Champions

Paul Jeffrey · Jan 21, 2019

The 2019 Race of Champions took place in Mexico over the weekend - and it produced a few surprise results.

Split into two distinct days of racing, Saturday would see the 'Team Nordic' squad of Le Mans legend Tom Kristensen and Johan Kristoffersson beat the all star German team of four-time Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel and ROC rookie Mick Schumacher to the overall Nations Cup title, causing quite a stir as the experienced duo denied another famous Schumacher victory at Mexico City’s Foro Sol circuit.

Kristensen, competing in his 15th Race of Champions event in Mexico, would be in superb form throughout the weekend, the ever green 51-year-old nine-time Le Mans winner showing he has lost none of his formidable pace as he set to the short and twisty circuit in determined mood - seeing off the challenge of Vettel and Schumacher alongside his WRX champion team mate to once again take home some silverware during a ROC event. Germany would end up as runners up in the competition, having seen off the advances of a spirited Mexico team in the semi finals.

Saturday having been taken up by the team challenge, Sunday would all be about the individual drivers as the assembled line-up of stars from across the world of motorsport looked to take on the challenge of winning the ROC in 2019.

With big names Sebastian Vettel and Helio Castroneves out early in the event, Castroneves falling at the first round and Vettel having been beaten 3-1 by Mick Schumacher and Guerra respectively, it would be a tense deciding showdown for finalists Benito Guerra and WRC star Loic Duval. Guerra, racing in front of his passionate home crowd, would have the upper hand over his much higher profile rival, taking both opening race victories and with it the 2019 ROC cup.

Not as high profile as perhaps it has been in recent years, the 2019 ROC was nevertheless another spectacular start to the motorsport season.

Full results: ROC website

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Kurupt CDN · Jan 22, 2019

Johan Kristoffersson is a beast behind the wheel, he has dominated WRX the past 2 seasons....really looking forward to seeing him in the TCR this season!

Ad_Schneider · Jan 22, 2019

There was also a simracer guy who beat Lucas di Grassi in one of these rounds.

guidofoc · Jan 22, 2019

Yes, I read that Enzo Bonito beat Lucas di Grassi and also Ryan Hunter-Reay during the RoC. Quite impressive. I think this is stuff that Racedepartment could cover, too.
https://f1esports.com/news/esports-star-enzo-bonito-defeats-racing-heroes-at-2019-race-of-champions/

Eckhart von Glan · Jan 22, 2019

Bonito is an iRacing household name, good to see him out there in real life.
I think, though, Loic Duval is not a Rally driver but used to do LeMans and is now active in DTM and Formula E. I might be wrong, though.

Deleted member 113561 · Jan 22, 2019

Eckhart von Glan said:
Bonito is an iRacing household name, good to see him out there in real life.
I think, though, Loic Duval is not a Rally driver but used to do LeMans and is now active in DTM and Formula E. I might be wrong, though.

Has he real life experience?

Zuffenhausen Weiss · Jan 22, 2019

I say well done though it was some fun event, not something of major importance and to be bluntly honest, the ROC now is a shadow of it's former rallying orientated self back in those days

moosbruger · Jan 22, 2019

neuer31 said:
Has he real life experience?

Eckhart von Glan · Jan 22, 2019

wow, that's one relaxed and nice dude, thx for sharing!

Marocco2 · Jan 22, 2019

Xero · Jan 22, 2019

Bonito's success adds good credibility to sim racing as being a proper tool over being mere games. Most of today's top drivers use them, and it's being recognised in motorsport through a huge surge in eSports in recent years, particularly in F1. More and more sim racers are being converted real ones, it's fantastic to see!