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Newest McLaren F1 driver stars at the RoC
Drivers practicing at The ROC track, Wembley Stadium
Media information: 14 December 2007
Newly-announced McLaren F1 driver Heikki Kovalainen will be in action this weekend at Wembley Stadium for The Race of Champions 2007, where he will have some catching up to do after four of his ROC rivals were today testing on track.
Amongst the racers getting a head start were reigning ROC Champion Mattias Ekström and Scottish Rally star Alistair McRae as well as double NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson and X Games master Travis Pastrana.
Finland’s Kovalainen, The Race of Champions winner in 2004, will not be at a disadvantage though. Each of the 16 world-class ROC drivers, including Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button and David Coulthard, will have exactly the same time to practice, and McRae says every second counts.
2006 ROC Nations Cup winners, Kovalainen and Gronhölm
“I’m sure there’ll be a few spills on Sunday!” said the 1995 British Rally Champion, who will be racing for his brother, Colin, who was killed in a helicopter accident earlier this year. “The main thing is to put on a good show!
“The track is probably slightly bigger than I thought and it’s really slippery with the new tarmac. It’s a completely different discipline; not like racing and not like rallying. The quickest way would probably be to drive neat and tidy but we’re here to entertain!”
Today’s drivers got a taste of the track and some of the cars they will be driving against each other on Sunday around the parallel, tarmac track that was specially constructed at Wembley Stadium for the unique event.
Pastrana was most at home in the ROC car, a 1.1-litre multi-terrain vehicle with the engine of a Honda motorbike, probably thanks to his extensive Freestyle Motorcross experience that sees him leaping and somersaulting on dirt bikes.
“Today was awesome!” said the reigning American Rally Champion, who also sampled the Ford Focus WRC car, the Aston Martin V8 Vantage n24, the Solution F and the Fiat Grande Punto S2000 Abarth. “It was good to drive everything, but honestly the buggie was the best. It’s the one I felt most at home on. It sure is a helluva lot of fun! I took off in the WRC car, all four wheels were spinning! It’s the slickest thing I’ve ever driven in my life!”
With three-quarters of seats already sold, Wembley’s atmosphere is set to be electric as fans descend to London’s famous stadium for the race of the year.
“This weekend is set to be a great contest,” said Fredrik Johnsson, President of event organisers IMP. “We have a superb mixture of young and established drivers all there to enjoy themselves and give fans the best show.
“We’re getting some really good feedback about the track and with Wembley’s set-up ensuring a great view from any seat, the public is in for a great day.”
All The Race of Champions action will be broadcast live on the ROC website, www.raceofchampions.com/live, starting from 14:00 GMT. For your last chance to get tickets to The Race of Champions, go to Wembley Stadium’s East ticket window from 10am on Sunday (16 December).
Alister McRae puts the ROC car through its paces at Wembley Stadium today
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)
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