In the finale Tom K had to surrender to the WRC driver Sebastian
Ogier, who drove the ROC Buggy and the Audi R8 LMS with surgical
precision.
"It was a tough finale after three intense knockout heats. I'm
delighted to have made it onto the winners' photo in both
competitions. Sébastien Ogier is a worthy Champion; there is no
doubt about this whatsoever. I was able to drive all the cars here
in Düsseldorf. And I think we gave the audience a good show," Tom K
said after the race.
After some great races in the group stages from all the racers
focus quickly shifted to the Le Mans legends campaign. Especially
because of two phenomenal knockout races against the home
favourites Vettel and Schumacher, which excited both the
commentators and the 65.000 spectators in the ESPRIT arena in
Düsseldorf.
After defeating the F1 driver Vitaly Petrov and losing to the GP2
champion Romain Grosjean Kristensen not only had to win his last
heat over Vettel - he also had to set the fastest lap of all the
four drivers in the group to make it to the quarterfinals.
Therefore pressure was on the Dane, who answered by driving the
best race of ROC so far pushing his Skoda Fabia Super 2000 over the
line a few metres before the reigning F1 World Champion - in what
was the fastest lap time as well! This was enough for the Audi
driver to win his group.
"It was a great race, but also a bit strange. Like all drivers I
had a female passenger in the car when I raced against Vettel -
however, mine talked and screamed all the time, so I could not hear
Skoda's engine. It was a bit critical as it takes quite some
concentration to keep up with Vettel in a rally car. I asked her to
be "Ruhig, bitte". But she merely answered she is live in
television," Tom K says with a smile.
In the quarterfinal the McLaren F1 star Jenson Button waited,
but by driving the fastest time in the KTM X-BOW at the Race of
Champions Kristensen knocked out the Briton.
In the semi-final Tom K faced Michael Schumacher and that race
became the highlight of the show - just as you thought that the
Danes encounter with Vettel had set the bar. Both legends had to
compete in a KTM X-BOW once again and when the drivers saw the
chequered flag the stadium timing revealed Tom K as the winner by
only 1/100th of a second. A duel as close and intense as the crowd
could hope for.
A great end to the season, which have been filled with accidents
for Tom K. Next year the aim for the Dane is to win the new World
Championship for sports cars called FIA World Endurance Cup.