Johnson, Herta Almost pulls off Snowy Shocker in Sweden
When Jimmie Johnson and Colton Herta this week prepared for the Nations Cup competition in the Race of Champions (ROC) Snow + Ice Final in Pite Havsbad, Sweden, Johnson summed up the duo’s chances of succeeding in their first race on ice with a typical self. obliterating remark.
“Team USA is made up of two Californian guys who have never ridden on snow and ice before,” Johnson said with a laugh. “What can go wrong?”
Not at all as much as the California Kids – or the global motorsport community gathered for the unique all-star event – could have expected.
The two NTT INDYCAR SERIES drivers who grew up among palm trees in southern California failed to overthrow two Norwegians who have lived their whole lives in ice and snow in the dramatic final of the Nations Cup competition on Saturday 5 February.
Chip Ganassi Racing’s Johnson and Andretti Autosports Herta lost to 2003 world rally champion Petter Solberg from Norway and his son, current WRC phenomenon Oliver Solberg, in the final that took place on the frozen Baltic Sea just 60 miles from the Arctic Circle. Herta was a late replacement for action sports superstar and rally driver Travis Pastrana, who was injured in a base jump accident.
“Our original goal was not to be knocked out in the first round, so when we won we jumped up and down and celebrated as if we had won the whole thing!” in Herta. “Of course no one could have thought we would make it to the final. But we had a plan, we stuck to it, and here we are.
“It was fantastic to compete against these guys, and especially Solbergs in the final. The conditions were not so bad today, depending on which car you drove – but we may not be experienced enough to know when the conditions are good and bad! Our approach was just “Send it and see what happens …”
Drivers in the team competition competed with a mix of cars, including the electric rallycross car FIA RX2e, Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport, 100% fossil-free biofuel-powered SuperCar Lites and the off-road car Polaris RZR PRO XP.
The pair Solberg beat Johnson and Herta three heats against one in the final after the American duo shocked another Nordic tandem accustomed to snow and ice, two-time Formula 1 world champion Mika Hakkinen and Emma Kimilainen from Team Finland, in the semifinals.
In the final heat of the final, Petter Solberg won easily after Johnson had a mechanical problem. Oliver Solberg then beat Herta and gave Team Norway a 2-0 lead, but Johnson beat the younger Solberg in the Porsche 718 Caymans in the next round to trim the distance to 2-1. But Petter Solberg then sealed the title with a victory over Herta in the fourth heat.
“This is crazy!” said Oliver Solberg, 20. “I am shocked because it is very emotional to do this together as father and son. We had a fantastic teamwork and it shows that we work well together. It has been a dream come true to come “To Race Of Champions with all the legends I look up to, like Jimmie. There are so many stars here and so much experience to absorb. They are all so humble and nice to me, so it’s been a fun time.”
The victory over Hakkinen and Kimilainen in the semifinals was the second straight stunning for Johnson and Herta. They teamed up to beat Team Germany’s line-up of F1 stars Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher in the quarterfinals after a countdown of fastest lap times broke a 2-2 draw.
Herta and Johnson also needed a countback in the first round to beat the Team Latin America pair of four-time Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves of Meyer Shank Racing and Benito Guerra.
“The Race Of Champions is such a special event because you switch between different cars, so no one is particularly comfortable,” Johnson said. You have to forget the experience and try to deal with what is in front of you.
“On the starting line, I tried not to think about who I was competing for, I was just trying to stay within my means, be smart and drive the car. If you get through the rounds, you have a chance to meet great guys, and to see names like Vettel and Schumacher is astonishing. “
Johnson and Herta were both eliminated on Sunday in the quarterfinals of the individual Race Of Champions, a straight battle between drivers for the coveted title ROC Champion of Champions. Johnson lost to nine-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen of Denmark, while Herta lost to four-time F1 world champion Vettel in a recount of fastest times after a 1-1 draw in the two heats.
Castroneves was Herta’s victim in Sunday’s first round during a matchup of NTT INDYCAR SERIES competition winner. Nine-time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb beat Vettel in the final and won the Champion of Champions trophy for a record-breaking fourth time.