Romain Grosjean wins 2012 Race of Champions
Romain Grosjean won the 2012 Race of Champions with a comprehensive 2-0 victory over Tom Kristensen in the final in Bangkok's Rajamangala Stadium

The 26-year-old Frenchman, whose Formula 1 future is yet to be confirmed, was in imperious form and lost only one of his seven head-to-head encounters all afternoon.
Having finished runner-up in Saturday's Nations' Cup, Grosjean went one better by defeating eight-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen in both the RoC buggies and the KTM X-Bows to take the outright prize.
He is the fourth Frenchman to win the RoC, joining Didier Auriol, Sebastien Loeb and Sebastien Ogier, who defeated Kristensen in last year's final.
Grosjean said: "It's a very good feeling - yesterday in the final, and then today winning. It's been a long time I haven't been on the podium actually. To come back at the top level is pretty good. Last year Sebastien Ogier was champion of champions, now myself: now we need to go for the Nations' Cup."
Kristensen had progressed into the finals with a near 1.5s victory over David Coulthard in the Audi R8s.
Grosjean meanwhile defeated Nations' Cup winners Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel en route to the final. For both Germans, it was their only defeat of the tournament.
Schumacher had beaten Grosjean in the opening race of their group, meaning the Frenchman met Vettel in the third quarter final. The three-time F1 world champion suffered an early exit however as a brush with the barriers broke the suspension on his KTM.
Kristensen survived a small brush of his own to progress from his quarter final against Sebastien Ogier, the man who beat him to last year's crown.
The second and fourth quarter finals were settled in very different manners: Coulthard edged out Ho-Pin Tung by just six hundredths of a second, while Schumacher prevailed over five-time 500cc motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan by eight seconds in a scrappy affair.
Doohan progressed from Group C after Tin Sritrai was penalised in their decisive heat, the Thai driver having finished ahead on the road.
Over in Group D Grosjean also scored a critical victory over 2012 IndyCar champion Ryan Hunter-Reay to seal his progress, although Schumacher topped the group with a perfect record.
There was a surprise in Group B as three-time World Touring Car champion Andy Priaulx suffered an exit after losing to Kristensen and Thailand's Nattavude Charoensukawattana.
In his final heat, Priaulx clattered through the Turn 1 barriers and almost made contact with Kristensen on his outside.
Ogier meanwhile topped Group A with a perfect record, while David Coulthard's early victory over four-time V8 Supercars champion Jamie Whincup proved the difference and sent the Scot through to the quarter finals.

Previous article
Race of Champions: Vettel, Schumacher win Nations' Cup for Germany
Next article
Race of Champions could return to London in the future

About this article
Series | General |
Author | Sam Tremayne |
Romain Grosjean wins 2012 Race of Champions
The F1 and Indy 'nearly man' that found contentment in Japan
Having had the door to F1 slammed in his face and come within three laps of winning the Indianapolis 500, the collapse of a Peugeot LMP1 shot meant Japan was Bertrand Baguette's last chance of a career. But it's one which he has grasped with both hands
The female all-rounder who arrived "too early"
From Formula 3 to truck racing, Dakar and EuroNASCAR via a winning stint in the DTM, there's not much Ellen Lohr hasn't seen in a stellar racing career that highlights the merit in being a generalist. But she believes her career came too early...
How Radical's latest machines fare on track
The lightweight sportscar manufacturer has not rewritten the rulebook with its latest machines, but the new SR3 XX and SR10 still provide a step forward on its previous successful models
The real-life racing rogues stranger than fiction
The forthcoming Netflix film linking the world of underworld crime and motorsport plays on a theme that isn't exactly new. Over the years, several shady figures have attempted to make it in racing before their dubious dealings caught up with them
How a GP is thriving in a COVID-free territory
The New Zealand Grand Prix's mix of rising talent and big-name stars thrilled the crowds (yes, remember crowds?) assembled for the Toyota Racing Series meeting at Hampton Downs last weekend and left distant observers craving a repeat
How a much-changed Macau GP kept the party going
OPINION: The 67th edition of the Macau Grand Prix might have been a largely muted affair to the outside world without its international influx and star line-ups, another victim to the COVID-19 pandemic, but organisers deserve huge credit for keeping the party going
Engineer's view: Motorsport's revolutionary braking tool
Although brake pressure and temperature logging is commonplace, measuring and understanding braking performance hasn't been so straightforward. But that's about to change following the introduction of a groundbreaking new sensor
The high-tech materials helping Renault in its F1 rise
The Renault F1 team is at the vanguard of innovative solutions pushing development of the V6 turbo hybrid engine rules, embracing the full potential of material science in its bid to get back to the top