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ROC at Wembley

Abu Dhabi sponsors The Race of Champions

Media information: 11 December 2007

Britain’s winter gloom will be lifted this Sunday (16 December) when The Race of Champions blasts into London with the support of newly signed Official Destination Partner, Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates.

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority decided to build on its ground-breaking partnership with the 2007 FIA World Rally Champions BP-Ford and the FIA World Rally Championship to include The Race of Champions, in which both the Ford Focus WRC and its retiring lead driver, Marcus Gronhölm, will be taking part.

“Partnering the most prestigious end-of-season motorsport event in the world is a perfect fit for Abu Dhabi and its aspirations,” said Ahmed Hussein, Deputy Director General of the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority, the body responsible for the emirate’s presence in the WRC as well as the FIA Middle East Rally Championship.
“With Abu Dhabi’s key tourism markets in western Europe, The Race of Champions provides a great opportunity to communicate with millions of potential visitors through a dynamic and exciting format. Having this take place in front of 80,000 live spectators in an iconic venue like the new Wembley Stadium significantly enhances the impact."

Branding for Abu Dhabi, a world-class destination for leisure, culture and commerce, will brighten up the December weather at Wembley Stadium this Sunday, although the temperature will already be rising as the world’s greatest drivers take to the track in a champion of champions decider.

Formula One stars, including Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard and Jenson Button, will take on champions from disciplines including World Rally, World Touring Cars, Sports Car and NASCAR on an identical track to see who really is the best.

Wembley Stadium has been transformed into a parallel, tarmac race track for the unique event, giving each of the possible 80,000 fans a birds-eye view of every moment of action.

Abu Dhabi will not only reach Wembley Stadium’s live audience, however; The Race of Champions will also be broadcast to motorsport fans around the world with seven hours of live TV coverage on both Sky and Eurosport.

‘We’re proud and happy to welcome Abu Dhabi as ROC’s Official Destination Partner,” said Fredrik Johnsson, President of event organisers IMP. “We look forward to a long and mutually-satisfactory relationship.

“The ROC is a great platform to communicate the virtues of Abu Dhabi to a worldwide audience but also to engage with the motorsport industry outside the pressures of their normal business! The Race of Champions is definitely competitive but the drivers are there because they enjoy it, which makes for a much more relaxed environment!”

To book tickets for The Race of Champions, go to www.raceofchampions.com/ or call +44 161 385 69 25 for less than seven tickets, or +44 207 930 3000 for eight or more.

About Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi is the largest of the seven emirates which comprise the United Arab Emirates (UAE), forming 80% of the country’s land-mass and is home to the capital, Abu Dhabi City.

The Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) has embarked on a dynamic campaign to develop a world-class infrastructure as an up-scale sporting, cultural and leisure destination, aimed at discerning visitors.

In rallying, Abu Dhabi has formed a ground-breaking partnership with the BP-Ford World Rally Team in the FIA World Rally Championship, as well as developing a three-car national team competing in the Middle East Rally Championship (MERC), Team Abu Dhabi. The nation hosts a round of the FIA Historic Rally Championship and the UAE also hosts the final round of the MERC.

Abu Dhabi has launched a host of global sporting initiatives, including the European Tour-backed Abu Dhabi Golf Championship and from 2009, it will host a round of the FIA Formula One World Championship.

The nation has recently announced plans to welcome some of the world’s most famous cultural icons, including the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.

Editors’ Notes

Copyright-free hi-res photos are available to download at www.raceofchampions.com or by calling Andy Bothwell or Paul Rayner at Performance PR on +44 (0)208 5413434. Alternatively you can E-mail andyb@performancepr.com or paul@performancepr.com.

The Race of Champions was started in 1988 by Fredrik Johnsson and Michèle Mouton, the world’s most successful female rally driver.

The Race Of Champions event on December 14 will be made up of two separate competitions – The ROC Nations Cup and The Race of Champions.

Each competition pits drivers against each other in a head-to-head knockout format, with equal equipment ensuring races are won and lost on talent alone.

The ROC Nations Cup features drivers paired into teams based on their nationality. The teams then fight head-to-head against each other in knockout competition. Last year Team Germany (Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel) beat Team Finland (Marcus Grönholm and Heikki Kovalainen) in the final.

The Race Of Champions is a straightforward knockout competition, where 16 drivers go head-to-head until the champion is decided. In last year’s Final, Mattias Ekström beat Michael Schumacher in the third race of a best-of-three battle.

Already confirmed for The Race of Champions 2008 are:

  • Seven-times F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher (Team Germany)
  • Triple World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx (Team Autosport Great Britain)
  • Honda Racing F1 Team race winner Jenson Button (Team Autosport Great Britain)
  • Toro Rosso F1 racer Sebastian Vettel (Team Germany)

IMP, Les Caravelles, 25 Boulevard Albert 1er, MC 98000, MONACO
For media enquiries call +44(0)208 5413434 or email andyb@peformancepr.com or paul@performancepr.com
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