The Final Hurdle

After a great day's racing full of big smashes and close races KL and I spent a couple of hours chilling in the hotel before heading to the airport for our return flight to the UK. Chadders left earlier in the day on his flight home to Newcastle and, as the earlier blog entry states, successfully got home despite the snow. We weren't so lucky.....

We'd actually got to the airport, checked in and gone through passport control very quickly and were having a beer and some food prior to the flight. Suddenly the tannoy blared out that our flight was closing and it was calling for us by name to go to the departure gate. When we got there they'd announced that the flight had been cancelled and we had to go to ticket sales (via the baggage carousel to collect our checked in luggage) to sort out return flights.

It transpired that only about a dozen people had actually checked in and gone through passport control as they'd arrived early like ourselves - the remainder had been turned away before they checked in and were already queued up to rebook and reschedule their flight.

So, we waited in line for over 90 minutes to speak to the ticket desk....


We eventually got to the front of the queue to find that there were no other flights back to the UK that night. The following night's (Monday) Jet2 flight back to Leeds/Bradford was now full so we could either wait for Tuesday night's Jet2 flight or cancel the flight and book an alternative route.

So, with a sigh, we booked on a Monday morning BA flight to Heathrow at an extortionate cost and decided to take our chances on sorting out onward travel ourselves. A taxi took us back to the same hotel we'd left earlier in the day and we checked back in and even managed to get the same rooms we had previously.

Sat in the bar with a cold beer (we'd both been completely dry all day as we would have been driving home from the airport) we checked out possible travel arrangements from Heathrow and realised that there was a tube strike which would severely hamper us getting in to London and over to Kings Cross for the train back to Leeds. We decided on hiring a car, which we found at a reasonable price, had a quick night-cap and retired to bed.

The taxi to the airport the following morning went without a hitch, we checked in and went through passport control to wait patiently for the gate to open. So far, so good.....



Our flight was on time and got to Heathrow early. The plane was pretty big in fact it was a 2 x 3 x 2 width plane - proper BA, that's why! Free refreshments and a snack and we even got to sit across from a wrapped up Asian girl who looked a bit like one of those suitcases that's been encased in cellophane for protection - very bizarre!

Our car was ready and waiting for us at Eurocar but sadly it was only a Vauxhall Astra - KL was most dischuffed that it wasn't a Golf after all.

The journey back to Leeds/Bradford took three and a half hours and was very uneventful. We dumped the car and trudged to our respective car parks to collect our vehicles. Sadly, my car is a little bit poorly after being out in such bad weather for the last few days - it's not used to being so cold - but I managed to get it to limp home.....although a trip to the garage tomorrow is planned.....hope it doesn't make my weekend cost even more!!

So, all in all gentleman a most splendid weekend...roll on LM2011 and next years's RoC - I wonder where it will be !??!



....and finally, if we get treated like that again by a budget airline the Monkey King will leave a horse's head in their bed!

Albuquerque celebrates stunning Race of Champions win

Filipe Albuquerque can't believe his “fantastic” Race of Champions victory on his ROC debut.

Sébastien Loeb “gave everything” but misses out on fourth Champion of Champions title in Grand Final.

Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher “too cautious” in quarter-final defeat by new world champion Sebastian Vettel.


Debutant Filipe Albuquerque celebrated a shock win in The Race of Champions after a stunning victory over Sébastien Loeb in Düsseldorf today.

The Portuguese driver, who competed in Italian GT racing for Audi this season, put a stellar line-up of motorsport stars in the shade in head-to-head battles around a unique parallel track at the ESPRIT arena.

Albuquerque qualified for this weekend's event by winning the ROC South Europe competition in August. He duly took his chance, beating Loeb 2-1 in the Grand Final, denying the rally legend a fourth Champion of Champions title.

After a breathless afternoon of action, this is what some of the drivers had to say:

Filipe Albuquerque: “Today was my day. Everything went so well and I made no mistakes. Since the beginning I was up against such good drivers - I had to beat Sebastian Vettel twice and in the final, wow, Sébastien was really on it. I just drove my race and when I won the first one I was really happy. In the second race I made a small mistake and straightaway he was there and won - a little mistake can cause you to lose everything in this competition. But in the deciding race I was nice and smooth with no mistakes. I can't believe it - it's the first time I am here and I have won - I could not ask for more. To win against great names, including Vettel in Germany when he has just won the world championship, is just fantastic.”

Sébastien Loeb: “It was a really good fight but Filipe was very strong. I drove some good races and got to the final after some interesting fights; I gave everything. This morning I wasn't so confident after what happened yesterday in the ROC Nations Cup when I was beaten by Andy Priaulx but today went much better. I won all my races except for the one that mattered most, the final. But I am sure Filipe will be back again next year to defend his title and I'd like to be back so I hope we can fight again!”

Sebastian Vettel: “It would have been interesting to have the current Formula 1 and World Rally champions together in the final but it wasn't meant to be. That's how it goes, Filipe drove a good race. With races coming so fast and just one race for the quarter and semi-finals, sometimes it works for you and sometimes it doesn't. In the quarter-final against Michael it worked but in the semi I pushed too hard into the first corner and lost too much time. The race against Michael was fun and it was very tight after one lap. What happened last year in the semi-final went through my head and I was thinking ‘not again'. That time I shunted the car but this year I managed to get it to the line first so it was nice to pay him back.”

Michael Schumacher: “The problem against Sebastian was that after the first lap I was ahead and I was probably too cautious. I was too careful and he got to the line first. But it's been really nice to be here with all these talented guys. On the one hand it is a competitive event but also it is a bit more relaxed and we have the chance to catch up with people we otherwise don't get to see, so I have enjoyed the weekend. I'm also happy Heikki and his girlfriend came out of his accident okay.”

Heikki Kovalainen: “I am fine luckily, no injuries, and also my girlfriend who was my passenger is fine. It was a major shunt and it started from the touch of the wall just before the finish line. I tried to use every inch of the circuit and I just kissed the wall. Then I was a passenger as I hit the wall at the first corner. It was a decent shunt.”

Alain Prost: “It was a slippery track surface on my second race after some fluid was dropped on the track and that made a big difference, particularly on the last corner and infield. But it was okay, just less grip, no big problem. I have enjoyed The Race of Champions more and more over the weekend and it's a shame I didn't go further - I would like to have another go! I am getting used to the cars; it is not easy but I really started to enjoy it.”

Andy Priaulx: “Sébastien Loeb is a tough guy to race against. You can never be too confident in this event because it's instant knockout so one small mistake and you're out. But I tried to just have fun and push hard. I've had a great time anyway. To race against Michael Schumacher yesterday was a great honour and then today to go against Mick Doohan, who is a great hero of mine, made it a great weekend anyway.”

Carl Edwards: “I did the best I could. Thanks to all the fans for coming out here; it has been a fun event and I have enjoyed it. I just needed to win something! The issue is I race on lots bigger tracks than this but I should still be able to pick it up. I got a good run in my second race but had a bit of trouble on the last lap and lost against Filipe Albuquerque. This event is a challenge because these drivers are very good and everyone is a champion. They are very competitive - everyone is smiling but they are still very competitive.”

Travis Pastrana: “In my first race the car stalled, I have no idea why, so I had no chance. I just choked on the last bend of my race against Tom Kristensen, my second race. I took it a bit too easy on the last lap and then pushed too hard on the last turn. Tom's a great driver and I got knocked out but that's the way it goes.”

Jason Plato: “I didn't drive very well today if I'm honest. The party we had last night in the hotel was probably too good! It was great to race against Alain Prost, who was a hero to me when I was a kid, but he beat me and beat me well actually. Yes we all want to be competitive but it is a great event and it is a pleasure just to be here to compete against these fantastic names. It was an honour to be invited here and I'd love to be back again next year.”

Tom Kristensen: “Today was not too bad after yesterday didn't go so well for Team Nordic in the ROC Nations Cup. The atmosphere in the stadium was fantastic and it's never easy to race against Sébastien Loeb. We do our best when we are in the cars but we also have a lot of fun and I am pleased my Team Nordic team-mate Heikki is fine.”

Jet2Scuzz vs Lufthansa

It's a simple 1-0 to Lufthansa, they got me home while the Scuzzmeisters left Sniffer and His Highness stranded.

Not impressed at all.

Here's the arrivals board from the Leeds Bradford website.

Draw your own conclusions...

Albuquerque crowned Champion of Champions

Filipe Albuquerque lifts The Race of Champions trophy on his debut after stunning performance to beat Sébastien Loeb in the Grand Final in Düsseldorf.

Vettel beats Schumacher in titanic quarter-final showdown between Formula 1 champions past and present.

Former Race of Champions winner Heikki Kovalainen crashes out heavily in first race.


Filipe Albuquerque delivered a thrilling performance to eclipse 15 superstars of motorsport and win The Race of Champions at his first attempt on an exciting afternoon in Düsseldorf.

In front of a packed ESPRIT arena the Portuguese driver overcame World Rally champion Sébastien Loeb 2-1 in the best-of-three Grand Final on the specially-constructed parallel track to earn the title of Champion of Champions.

Following Team Germany's win last night in the ROC Nations Cup, The Race of Champions pitted 16 of the biggest names in motorsport against each other in head-to-head combat in a variety of different cars.

ROC South Europe winner Albuquerque's route to the final took him past Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel in a very tight semi-final following his quarter-final triumph against fellow Portuguese driver Alvaro Parente.

Loeb reached the Grand Final courtesy of a quarter-final win over eight-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen followed by victory against would touring car star Andy Priaulx in the powerful Audi R8 LMS.

In another quarter-final, an epic clash saw home favourites, and F1 rivals, Vettel and Schumacher clash in KTM X-Bows. Victory went to the younger man by just over half a second. Priaulx beat Bertrand Baguette in the other last-eight tie.

Earlier today, the action began with a bang in the round-robin group stage, which featured four groups of four drivers fighting it out for the right to line up in the knock-out quarter-finals.

In the very first race of the day, Heikki Kovalainen suffered a huge accident after the chequered flag when his Audi R8 LMS ploughed through the barriers and hit the concrete wall hard.

The F1 driver escaped injury but needed a precautionary visit to a local hospital for checks which prevented him taking any further part. He and Jeroen Bleekemolen were eliminated from Group A as Loeb and Baguette progressed.

Group B saw motorcycling hero Mick Doohan miss out along with Travis Pastrana, who suffered a stall, a last-corner defeat and a spin in his three races. Priaulx won all three races while Kristensen also went through.

It was close too in Group C, where Albuquerque and Vettel took the top two spots, knocking out NASCAR front-runner Carl Edwards and X-Games gold medallist Travis Foust.

The final group of the first round featured an incredible combined 11 F1 world championships and Schumacher beat Alain Prost by just over a second in a closely-fought contest in the ROC Car.

Schumacher won all three first-round races with Parente going through as runner-up. Current British touring car number one Jason Plato missed out, as did Prost, who spun out of his last race in the KTM X-Bow.

A total of 64,052 fans attended The Race of Champions during the course of the weekend.

So near and yet so far.....

Another slow start to the day - we all had breakfast together in a packed dining room and then spent an hour shooting the breeze and beginning our liquid refreshment intake of the day. This free mini-bar is coming in very handy!




After finding out how cold it really was yesterday we decided that being fully 'thermalled up' was definitely the order of the day so we loaded up the layers and ventured out into the weather. It had snowed a little bit but only small flurries compared with the snow back in the UK. The cold is really quite different to back home in that it's very dry and there is no frost. It's still below freezing but a much more pleasant 'European-style'.

We walked back to the old town and found one of the bars that Chadders' best mate from last night had apparently recommended and we dumped ourselves at a table and started on the house beer. It quickly became obvious that all of us were starting to quite badly overheat with all our layers so we decided to strip off down to our thermals. Chadders refused to let me take my trousers off so I had to soldier on and take in more fluids to cope!




For the next few hours we turned into three grumpy old men putting the world to rights and sharing our individual OCD traits and our annoyances on life, the universe and everything - encouraged by the surly attitude of the waiter. We've now arrived at the conclusion that all waiters are like that with the customers, irrespective of nationality - after witnessing them treating their fellow countrymen like that too.

So, after a meal of Currywurst for the boys and some other sausage and mash related dish for me (can you actually overdose on Pork?) the afternoon was moving on and we had to think about making tracks to the Esprit stadium. After a final pitstop at the bar Chadders and I went to on Thursday (we actually ordered a different beer too!) we headed for the taxi rank (having learned our lesson of being incompetent with the trains) and bumbled our way through sufficient German to get to the stadium.

The stadium facilities were quite impressive and we've decided that the Germans are quite a friendly bunch generally - unlike us of course! They had a system where the first drink you bought you paid an extra euro for a plastic glass (with a handle no less!) and then you took the glass back for each refill, returning it at the end of the night for your euro back. Obviously this meant that there was no litter anywhere within the stadium - no mean feat. The beer was four euros (although fizzy pop was too) but KL had decided to duck out on the beer and drink coke - he does only have one kidney though and he hasn't gone too yellow all weekend so it was probably a sensible move!

The Nations Cup was exciting and although we were pipped at the post by the German team in the final it was a very friendly affair. People even smiled at us when we cheered far too loudly after Andy Priaulx won his heat against Vettel!

We all had a hysterical fit of laughter (which resulted in KL actually crying laughing for several minutes and was close to actually losing control of his bladder - all that pop didn't help) at the German bloke next to us who kept clapping like a seal. My seal noises every time he clapped didn't help but obviously you had to have been there.....

We left the circuit out of completely the wrong doors and at completely the wrong end of the circuit to where we came in so we had to walk all the way round to the front to find the taxi rank to take us back.

Our hunger had returned so we headed back to the bar we had just left before the race for more meat (steak for Chadders and KL and Ostrich for me - Chadders and I also had some snails to start with!!).

At midnight we were kicked out of the restaurant because they were closing and we walked back to the hotel. All of us tired so no night-cap tonight.

It won't be quite the same on Sunday as Chadders is getting an earlier flight home and therefore only KL and I will make the journey back to the Esprit for the individual Race of Champions. Hopefully we can manage!

Schumacher and Vettel celebrate fourth ROC Nations Cup win

Sebastian Vettel revels in “very special” night after joining Michael Schumacher to win ROC Nations Cup for Team Germany.

Schumacher enjoys “emotional and fun” experience in front of Team Germany's home crowd.

“Close but no cigar” for Jason Plato as he and Team GB team-mate Andy Priaulx take runners-up spot.

Formula 1 superstars Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher both hailed Team Germany's incredible fourth successive victory in the ROC Nations Cup after a rollercoaster evening in front of their home crowd.

In a repeat of the last two ROC Nations Cup finals, Team Germany lined up against Team GB, represented in the ESPRIT arena by Andy Priaulx and Jason Plato.

The two teams were extremely closely matched and needed a sudden-death shoot-out to decide the result, with Schumacher beating Priaulx by a fraction.

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, Sébastien 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.”

Tonight's official attendance was 36,189 and tickets are still available to see the main event tomorrow, when the stars of world motorsport go head to head for individual glory in The Race of Champions.

Additional entertainment tomorrow is provided by Vettel, who will perform a demonstration run in his world championship-winning Red Bull Racing car.

Team Germany wins ROC Nations Cup again

Team Germany, featuring new Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel and seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, beat Team GB's Jason Plato and Andy Priaulx in the final to win ROC Nations Cup.

Vettel and Schumacher win the prestigious trophy for an incredible fourth time in succession.

Multiple World Rally champion Sébastien Loeb and F1 legend Alain Prost eliminated in semi-finals, along with Team Benelux (Jeroen Bleekemolen & Bertrand Baguette).

Local heroes Team Germany defeated Team GB in the final tonight to win the ROC Nations Cup in Düsseldorf after a thrilling contest featuring the world's top motorsport stars.

Legends from all aspects of motorsport did battle for national pride in the ROC Nations Cup, behind the wheel of various vehicles, including the awesome Audi R8 LMS, on a purpose-built parallel track at the ESPRIT arena.

The ROC Nations Cup trophy has been won for the last three years by Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher for Team Germany and they did not disappoint a big crowd tonight.

Schumacher squared up against Team GB's Plato in identical KTM X-Bows for the first race of the best-of-three final and made the perfect start, winning by just under two seconds.

The action switched to Audi R8 LMS cars for the second race, which Priaulx won to keep the contest alive and set up a head to head with Schumacher for the title.

An incredibly tight deciding race in ROC Cars saw Schumacher narrowly defeat Priaulx and clinch Team Germany's fourth ROC Nations Cup crown to the acclaim of their home fans.

Earlier in the evening, Team GB as group winners and runners-up Team France progressed through the round-robin Group A to line up a best-of-three semi-final.

Team Nordic, featuring Tom Kristensen and Heikki Kovalainen were eliminated on the tie-breaker of combined times while Alvaro Parente hit a wall in a KTM X-Bow as he and Team Portugal team-mate Filipe Albuquerque were knocked out.

In the first semi-final, Team GB prevailed in two races, with Plato beating Alain Prost in a VW Scirocco before Priaulx just finished of Loeb in a Porsche 911 to eliminate Team France.

In the other group, Team All Stars (Mick Doohan & Tanner Foust) and Team USA (Carl Edwards & Travis Pastrana) were knocked out as Team Germany and Team Benelux set a semi-final date.

In that contest, the home fans were given a performance to remember as Schumacher beat Bertrand Baguette in a ROC Car while Vettel followed that up with an immensely popular win over Jeroen Bleekemolen in a KTM X-Bow.

Tonight's official attendance was 36,189 and tickets are still available to see the main event tomorrow, when the stars of world motorsport go head to head for individual glory in The Race of Champions.

ROC Nations Cup ticket holders receive a 50% discount on Race of Champions tickets by presenting their ticket from Saturday.

Additional entertainment tomorrow is provided by Vettel, who will perform a demonstration run in his world championship-winning Red Bull Racing car.

Comments from selected drivers will follow shortly.