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ROC at Wembley

Kristensen and Ekstrom join The Race of Champions

  • Eight-times Le Mans 24 Hours winner and two-times Race of Champions winner team up to represent Scandinavia
  • Each of the most successful racers from Formula 1, World Rallying, World Touring Cars and Le Mans to battle at Wembley Stadium

The most successful endurance car racer of all time, Tom Kristensen, has added his name to the stellar cast being assembled for The Race of Champions 2008, which already includes the all-time best of the best from the FIA Formula 1, World Rally and World Touring Car Championships.

The eight-times Le Mans 24-Hour winner will join the seven-times F1 World Champion, Michael Schumacher, four-times World Rally Champion, Sébastien Loeb and three-times World Touring Car Champion, Andy Priaulx at Wembley on Sunday December 14 to compete for the coveted 'Champion of Champions' title.

Kristensen, who finished as runner-up to Sébastien Loeb in the 2005 Race of Champions, will team up with fellow Audi DTM racer Mattias Ekström – himself twice a winner of both The Race of Champions and the DTM series.

“The Race of Champions is always a lot of fun,” said Kristensen, who this year won the Le Mans 24 Hours for a record eighth time, at the wheel of an Audi R10 TDI. “Racing around a stadium like Wembley in front of a packed crowd is completely different to racing in the DTM or at Le Mans - it’s a great atmosphere and a fantastic way to end the season.”

After winning The Race of Champions for the past two years (beating Sébastien Loeb in the 2006 final and Michael Schumacher in the 2007 final), Ekström knows the pressure will be on as he aims to become the first driver to be crowned “Champion of Champions” three years in a row.

“It looks like this year could be the toughest yet,” said the Swede. “There have already been some great names to be announced, but I’m a racer – I like having the title of ‘Champion of Champions’, and there’s no way I’ll give it up without a fight!”


Ekström beat Michael Schumacher in last year’s Race of Champions Final.

Fredrik Johnsson, President of Event Organisers IMP, was delighted with the announcement of the two racers:

“Every year we try to put together the best-ever line up of champions and we’re well on the way to doing that in 2008. To have the greatest ever drivers from F1, rallying, Le Mans and touring cars, plus the driver who has beaten everyone else to The Race of Champions title for the past two years, is fantastic – it really is going to be a great battle.”

Ekström and Kristensen, who won the ROC Nations Cup together in 2005, will race as “Team Scandinavia” for a fourth consecutive year.

Tickets for The Race of Champions are on sale now by calling 0844 412 1743, or online at www.raceofchampions.com. Adult prices start at £18 and child tickets at £9.

Notes to editors:

The ROC was created in 1988 by Fredrik Johnsson and the world’s best woman rally driver Michèle Mouton.

The premise is simple: using identical equipment and track, drivers can prove themselves based on talent alone. The drivers compete in a series of knockout heats in their own division to determine their class champion. Then, in a shoot-out to determine who is the master of motorsport, the winners go head-to-head in a super final. The victor is awarded the title “The Champion of Champions”.

Drivers confirmed for 2007 include:

  • Seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher
  • Formula One star Jenson Button
  • Reigning World Touring Car Champion, Andy Priaulx
  • Red Bull Racing’s David Coulthard
  • Triple Champ Car Champion Sébastien Bourdais
  • Seven-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen
  • Former DTM Champion Mattias Ekström
  • Reigning NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson
  • Eight-time X-Games Champion Travis Pastrana
  • Double World Rally Champion, Marcus Grönholm
  • Renault F1’s Heikki Kovalainen
  • Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel
  • 1995 British Rally Champion Alister McRae
  • World Touring Car Championship star Yvan Muller
  • 2003 World Rally Champion, Petter Solberg
  • Five-time Norwegian Rally Champion, Henning Solberg

This traditional end-of-season showdown attracts spectators from across Europe. For three years the event, held at the Stade de France in Paris, has attracted well over 50,000 spectators each year.

Action from the Race of Champions 2006 was broadcast in over 200 countries and watched by more than 186 million viewers.