Special Motorsports Event - Grosjean Wins 2012 Race of Champions

Bangkok, Dec. 28, 2012: Lotus’s Romain Grosjean emerged victorious at the 2012 Race of Champions (ROC) on Sunday after a dominant performance in the multi-discipline event in Thailand. The 26-year-old Frenchman proved unbeatable as he defeated eight-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen in the final of the competition which took place on a specially-designed track in Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium.

In a three-heat head-to-head battle for the crown, Grosjean made certain of victory with two straight wins in the ROC Buggy and the KTM X-Bow.

“Champion of Champions sounds pretty good,” said Grosjean afterwards. “It certainly feels pretty special to end my year like this. It wasn’t an easy route to the crown either; I had Sebastian [Vettel] in the quarter-final then Michael [Schumacher] in the semi-final, then Tom Kristensen in the final. Between those three drivers you’ve got ten Formula One titles and eight Le Mans wins! To win against these guys is very special indeed.”

Grosjean’s victory came a day after he and Team France team mate, world rally driver Sebastian Ogier, came second to the Team Germany partnership of Vettel and Schumacher in the Race of Champions Nations Cup. The German pair were victorious for the sixth consecutive year, capping a fantastic year for Vettel, who picked up his third consecutive Formula One drivers’ title in Brazil at the end of November.

“Even Michael hasn’t managed six titles in a row before so this is something special,” said the Red Bull driver. “Six years is a long time and now we can look back and know we’ve won for the last six years. We all love coming here as it’s a special event. It’s a privilege and an honour to race with these guys. There’s one thing that connects us all, which is racing.”