Ekström wins Race of Champions
Mattias Ekström silenced the Parisian crowd at the Stade de France yesterdayevening with a surprise win over home star Sébastien Loeb to claim victory in The 2006 Race of Champions. It took the Swede just two races in the best-of-three Super-Final shootout to see off the three-time World Rally Champion. He also twisted the knife in the wound by defeating the Frenchman in the opening race which saw them compete in identical Citroën Xsara WRCs, the car that has taken Loeb to three straight world rally crowns.
"I'm absolutely thrilled to have won The Race of Champions," said Mattias Ekström. "It's the best moment in my life. Better even than winning my DTM title in 2004. And I'm especially proud to have beaten Loeb in his own car. I knew before that race that it would be tough and I just told myself to go for it. I didn't get off to a very good start but then the adrenalin kicked in and I fought back. Unbelievable."
On his arrival at the Stade de France this morning, the Swedish all-rounder, who has competed in this year's DTM as well as in two rounds of the World Rally Championship, was in fact feeling sick. "When I woke up this morning I had a bad stomach and I've eaten nothing all day," he revealed. "But I really wanted to get a good result and I definitely didn't like being knocked out of the ROC-Nations Cup with Tom Kristensen so early on. This is the type of circuit where if you make just one mistake it's finished. And if you only give it 99% you are beaten. To beat Seb in his own car you need to be absolutely spot on."
Defeated finalist Sébastien Loeb, who was making his return to the competitive arena today after sustaining an arm injury while mountain biking last September, was swift to praise Ekström for his performance. "Mattias is in luck on a rally stage and also quick on a race circuit. And on top of that he drove very well today. He deserves to be champion. I was especially impressed by his speed in the Xsara WRC. It was close run, but he then left me standing in our race with the Renault Mégane Trophy."
