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ROC at Wembley

World rally leader, Marcus Grönholm, confirmed for The Race of Champions

Media information: 21 September 2007

Marcus Grönholm has said he would like to cap his retirement year with the title ‘Champion of Champions’ as he today confirmed his participation in The Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium on 16 December.

The double World Rally Champion is currently poised to take his third WRC title after spectacularly winning the last round in New Zealand by the smallest-ever margin to put himself 10 points ahead of main rival Sébastien Loeb.

The Race of Champions, in which Grönholm has been a regular contender, will see the accomplished rally driver’s phenomenal skills pitted against the best F1, touring cars, NASCAR and sports car have to offer in head-to-head race-offs in front of an auditorium of fans.

“I don’t feel pressure for us rally drivers to beat the F1 drivers but we do beat them anyway!” said the BP-Ford driver, who won The Race of Champions in 2002. “The Race of Champions is a little bit more relaxed than normal racing, but when I’m there I start to push to the maximum!

“I have decided after this year to step down a little bit so I would like to win everything! To be ‘Champion of Champions’ at the end of the year would be fantastic.”

Grönholm will be driving for Team Finland in the Nations Cup, where racers compete in pairs for their homeland, and says there is nobody in particular amongst the star-studded ROC line-up that he wants to beat in the individual ROC category.

“I want to beat them all; I can’t name somebody in particular!” said the 39-year-old. “It’s a very good line-up this year, with Michael Schumacher and Jenson Button. I just want to come out on top!”

Earlier this month the world was devastated by the news that rally driver Colin McRae, who was due to compete in The Race of Champions this year, had died in a helicopter crash.

“I haven’t seen him so much in the rally,” said Grönholm, who raced against McRae many times in the past. “At The Race of Champions he has been always there and we have had a few drinks together. It is very sad feeling for everybody.

“It’s really bad what happened. He will be very missed by all rally people. There was only one Colin McRae; a special, good driver and very, very good when he was on top.”

For The Race of Champions tribute to Colin McRae, please visit www.raceofchampions.com

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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