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The Race of Champions quarter finals
Media information: 16 December 2007
National hopes in The Race of Champions rest on triple World Touring Car Championship Andy Priaulx after Jenson Button was knocked out of the competition by Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher.
Heikki Kovalainen pushed hard to ensure Priaulx’s win was not an easy one but his efforts were thwarted when he lost control of his Aston Martin on the start/finish line and crashed spectacularly into the middle barriers.
Driver reactions from today’s The Race of Champions quarter-finals:
Seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher
“I feel no guilt about putting England out at Wembley twice in one day! I’m pretty pleased with the gap between me and Jenson! (1.134)”
Formula One star Jenson Button
“England versus Germany was a bit of a nightmare today! At first it wasn’t so bad but on the second lap I was struggling against Michael with the gears. I was looking at the dashboard and it confused me but he beat me fair and square. I was pretty unlucky to have him in the second round twice, the Nations Cup and The Race of Champions!”
Four-time Champ Car Champion Sébastien Bourdais
“Beating Coulthard hopefully bodes well for 2008. It’s obviously very different here because of all the different cars but it’s great fun and that’s why we come. You’ve got to be a bit lucky to win this; it’s a one day event, sometimes it goes your way and sometimes it doesn’t.”
Red Bull Racing’s David Coulthard
“It’s pretty awesome out there in front of such a passionate crowd. It’s a pity I went out; I crashed that car yesterday so I was a little bit too careful.”
McLaren F1’s Heikki Kovalainen
“Andy drove well; I didn’t have a big problem I just didn’t adapt to the car fast enough. Andy drove better, it’s a little bit disappointing for me but I’ve done the maximum. At the end of the day this is not costing my any championship points so there’s no need to be sad. Tomorrow I’ll get up and go to work with my new team.”
Triple and reigning World Touring Car Champion, Andy Priaulx
“That was so close! But that’s what The ROC is all about. I think I was a little bit behind at one point so I’m pleased I managed to make it up.”
Two-time DTM Champion Mattias Ekström
“I had a big moment in turn one on the outside. Now I drive against Andy in the next round… I think he won four titles in a row so for sure he’s a great guy but today history doesn’t count!”
Eight-time X-Games Champion Travis Pastrana
“In the end I wasn’t even close enough to do a cool finish! I just wasn’t good enough in that car.”
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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