The Champion of the two first seasons of the all-female W Series and 2021 Extreme E driver, Jamie Chadwick, is confirmed as the latest addition of the upcoming ROC Snow + Ice WORLD FINAL in Pite Havsbad, Sweden, February 5 - 6, 2022.
A native of Bath, England, 23-year-old Chadwick will compete for the individual "Champion of Champions" title and represent Team Great Britain with Formula One Legend and two-time ROC Champion David Coulthard in the ROC Nations Cup on day one of the two-day race weekend.
Sweden will mark the 13th entry for two-time ROC Champion, Coulthard and the first ROC appearance for Chadwick.
Held on the frozen Baltic Sea just 60 miles from the Arctic Circle, this year's ROC WORLD FINAL will feature drivers with the most titles/wins from premier events and racing series including 24 Hours of Le Mans, NASCAR Cup Series, FIA World Rally Championship, and the Indianapolis 500.
Britain's Jamie Chadwick to the line-up for the ROC "Snow + Ice" WORLD FINAL in Pite Havsbad, Sweden. "I’m super excited to make my Race Of Champions debut in Sweden. It’s an event I’ve always loved watching so I can’t wait to experience it for the first time," said 2019 and 2021 W Series Champion, Jamie Chadwick. "It’s going to be an honor to represent Great Britain with an icon like David Coulthard."
The announcement also confirms the 2014 and 2018 ROC “Champion of Champions” David Coulthard will return to the ROC. With 13 Formula 1 Grand Prix victories including all the most prestigious races at Monaco, Silverstone, Monza, Spa, etc, and 62 podiums to show for his efforts, the former Formula One star will join Chadwick to form Great Britain's entry at this year's ROC Nations Cup. "Race Of Champions is an event I always enjoy competing in, but racing on snow and ice this year will be a very different experience to the stadium tracks," said David Coulthard. "I have done some ice driving with AMG Mercedes in Sweden in the past, but it will be a challenge to beat the Nordic drivers in their element."
"Over 30 years, only one other female racer has competed in the main ROC events," said ROC President Fredrik Johnsson. "That was Susie Wolff in 2014. Susie teamed up with DC [David Coulthard] at that event to finish in second place in the ROC Nation's Cup. ROC is designed to be a 'level playing field'. I co-founded Race Of Champions with the world’s most successful female driver, Michele Mouton, who proved that women can win against men at the highest level. We look forward to seeing more women competing at the top-level of motorsports, as racing becomes more accessible."
As a backer and advisor for the all-female W Series launched in 2019, Coulthard is an outspoken advocate for women in racing. "It makes sense that ROC should be a showcase for female racers," continued Coulthard. "Motorsports is pivoting into real progress in areas of equality and sustainability."
As the main event on the first day of ROC competition, this year's ROC Nations Cup will feature national teams from Sweden, Norway, Finland, USA, Germany, Great Britain, France, along with contingents from Latin America, and Nordic Countries. In this novel format, two drivers team up to represent a country or region in a shoot-out of head-to-head heats leading to a final race that decides the "fastest nation on earth." Past winners of the ROC Nations Cup include names like multiple NASCAR champions, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson; French rally legend, Sebastien Loeb and teammate, Jean Alesi; and Formula One titans, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel who dominated Nations Cup competition from 2007-2012 as Team Germany.
"The ROC Nations Cup was introduced in 1999," said ROC President, Fredrik Johnsson. "At the time, it was a bit of an experiment, but this concept of team competition quickly became a big hit and really highlights the intense, but good-hearted rivalries and camaraderie that ROC is known for."
As the largest event ever held in Norrbotten, the ROC Snow + Ice WORLD FINAL is a unique departure from ROC's recent history in stadiums. "We took a risk coming to the Arctic Circle, but the international community of competitors look to ROC for something really special each year. Driver turn-out has once again been exceptional this year, despite the remote venue and the continued challenges of COVID," continued Johnsson. "Sweden will give ROC fans the chance to see their favorite drivers take on the severe and unpredictable conditions of ice and snow."
Event organizers confirmed that this year's ROC will feature drivers with the most titles/wins from premier events and racing series. During his career, Tom Kristensen dominated the 24 Hours of Le Mans with nine wins. Jimmie Johnson claimed seven NASCAR Cup Series titles before moving on to IndyCar for the 2021 season. Current Extreme E and Dakar racer, Sebastien Loeb, dominated the FIA World Rally Championship with nine consecutive championships (2003-2012). And, in 2021, Helio Castroneves became only the fourth driver to win the Indianapolis 500 four times.
An innovative winner-takes-all format that gives competitors the opportunity to race head-to-head against competitors they would never typically encounter, ROC draws many of the most successful racers from global motorsports. In addition to Couthard's frequent campaigns, past ROC events have brought together superstars from all of the premier leagues in global motorsports including Formula One, Le Mans, Nascar, IndyCar, World Rally and Rallycross. Over its three decades, the event has been a battleground for European legends like Michael Schumacher, Tom Kristensen, Sebastian Vettel, Sébastien Loeb, Petter Solberg, Colin McRae, David Coulthard, Marcus Grönholm, and Jenson Button; along with other international stars like Nascar champions Jimmie Johnson, Kurt and Kyle Busch, and Jeff Gordon; Ryan Hunter-Reay and Josef Newgarden of IndyCar; Formula E Champion Lucas Di Grassi; Legendary Extreme sports star Travis Pastrana; and Indianapolis 500 champions Juan Pablo Montoya and Helio Castroneves.
As additional innovations for drivers and fans, ROC is using the event in Sweden to launch a new era in its racing equipment. The commitment includes cars powered by electric and 100% fossil-free biofuel engines. Vehicles announced to date include the over 1000 horsepower electric FC1-X, that accelerates from 0-100 km/h in less than 1,5 seconds, the FIA RX2e—another electric rallycross car generating 250kW (335bhp) of power and up to 510 Nm torque—and the Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The RX2e accelerates from 0-100km/h in less than 3.3 seconds, while the GT4 makes 425 bhp from fossil-free biofuel. The SuperCar Lites will return to ROC, but this time powered by 100% fossil free biofuel.
Schedule for the 2022 event:
Saturday 5th of February 2022, 12:00 – 15:00 CET: ROC Nations Cup (to Crown the World’s Fastest Nation)
Sunday 6th February 2022, 12:00 – 15:00 CET: Race Of Champions (to Crown the "Champion of Champions")
Current drivers announced for the 2022 event:
Sebastian Vettel – 4x Formula One Champion
Mick Schumacher – FIA Formula 2 and FIA Formula 3 Champion
Jimmie Johnson – 7x NASCAR Cup Champion
Mika Hakkinen – 2x Formula One Champion
Valtteri Bottas – Current Formula One front-runner
Sebastien Loeb – 9x World Rally Champion
Travis Pastrana – 2021 American Rally Association Champion and Extreme sport legend
Tom Kristensen – 9x Le Mans winner
Johan Kristoffersson – Reigning FIA World Rallycross Champion
Petter Solberg – FIA World Rally and Rallycross Champion
Oliver Solberg – Rising WRC star
Mattias Ekström – 2x DTM Champion and World Rallycross Champion
Helio Castroneves – 4x Indy 500 Winner
Benito Guerra – Reigning ROC Champion and Production World Rally Championship (PWRC)
Timmy Hansen – FIA World Rallycross Champion
Jamie Chadwick – 2x W Series Champion
David Coulthard – 2 x ROC Champion and 13x Formula 1 winner
Additional drivers will be announced in the coming weeks and leading up to the event. A limited release of general admission tickets for the 2022 ROC "Snow + Ice" WORLD FINAL is available at Tickster. Event organizers will comply with any COVID restrictions in effect. Organizers and local officials will be providing updates with regard to any additional ticket sales and any restrictions affecting travel and local services due to COVID.