Race of Champions tries a knockout for Kovalainen

London, Reuters – Heikki Kovalainen, the Lotus Racing driver, a former winner of the annual exhibition event needed a preventive visit to hospital after being knocked out in a big crash at the Race of Champions in Duesseldorf on Sunday.

Finnish Formula One driver lost control of his Audi R8 sports car and cut into the barriers and a concrete wall."Hardcore shunt with throttle jammed and rear suspension damaged got knocked out, now some medical checkups," Kovalainen said on his Twitter feed (@H_Kovalainen) before later reporting all was well. His British girlfriend Catherine Hyde, who was a passenger in the car, was uninjured.

Surprising in the final of the Race of Champions winner was Portuguese GT racer Filipe Albuquerque after beating France’s seven times world rally champion Sebastien Loeb. Albuquerque overcome in the quarter-final from new Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel, who had beaten compatriot and seven times champion Michael Schumacher, to the disappointment of the home crowd.

However, Vettel and Schumacher together won the Nations Cup for the fourth year in a row on Saturday.