Herta, Johnson leads Team USA to a surprising 2nd place in Sweden – CBS17.com
Petter and Oliver Solberg’s great-grandson tandem beat the surprisingly competitive American team Colton Herta and Jimmie Johnson on the frozen Baltic Sea to win the Race of Champions (ROC) Nations Cup.
Team Norway was led on Saturday by 47-year-old Petter Solberg, 2003 world champion in rally and two-time world champion in rallycross. His son, Oliver, is a 20-year-old rising rally driver. The event in the knockout round was held on the snow and ice covered track in Pite Havsbad, Sweden, 600 km south of the Arctic Circle.
Herta was a last-minute replacement for Travis Pastrana, who broke his back and hip in a BASE jump accident at the end of last month. The 21-year-old IndyCar star replaced Pastrana and went to Sweden after leading his team to a class victory on Sunday in Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Johnson, the seven-time NASCAR champion heading into an entire IndyCar season this month, returned to ROC for the second time. He represented the United States along with Jeff Gordon in their outrageous 2002 win in Spain.
“Who would have thought that two guys from California would be here on snow and ice and finish second in the Race of Champions Nations Cu,” Johnson said in a video on social media. “A fantastic day for both of us. I think we surprised ourselves. Then I really think we had a shot in the final.
“I had a car break and a mechanic, which took me out of an opportunity in the first round. Came back and won the Porsche. Colton was right there and came just a little short to the Solberg family. Just a super fun day. We exceeded expectations and looking forward to having fun tonight. ”
Johnson was scheduled to compete on Sunday for the title of “Champion of Champions” in the individual ROC category.
Johnson and Herta advanced to the semifinals on Saturday by beating the German team consisting of four-time Formula 1 champions Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher.
Then they beat Team Finland, with Herta beating the two-time F1 champion Mika Hakkinen to get Team USA to the final. Herta also met four-time Indy 500 winner Helio Castroneves in the first round.
The Race of Champions’ “Snow + Ice” World event pits drivers against each other in a variety of vehicles that focus on electric power.