Sébastien Loeb will make his eighth appearance at the RACE OF CHAMPIONS (ROC), in pursuit of the "Champion of Champions" title and the coveted ROC Nations Cup crown as part of Team France.
Loeb is an unprecedented 9-time winner of the World Rally Championship (WRC) title and has 79 WRC event wins to his credit.
With a total of four Race Of Champions victories (three in individual competition and one Nation's Cup team victory), Loeb is among the winningest competitors in the event's 30-year history.
Loeb joins other legends already announced, including 9-time Le Mans winner, Tom Kristensen, reigning FIA World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson; three-time winner of the ROC WORLD FINAL, Mattias Ekström; current American Rally Association front-runner, Travis Pastrana; FIA World Rally and Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg; and rising WRC star, Oliver Solberg.
Promoters and local officials to focus on sustainability, including exciting new electric race cars and other innovative equipment using 100% fossil-free bio fuel.
ROC to be the largest event ever held in Norrbotten, and has entered into a multi-year agreement to organize ROC Snow & Ice events in this most northern region of Sweden.
French rally legend, Sébastien Loeb, joins the line-up of top competitors lining up for the first ROC "Snow + Ice" WORLD FINAL. Faster and wider than a typical ROC circuit, Sweden's "Snow + Ice" course will be built on the frozen Baltic Sea at Pite Havsbad, just 60 miles from the Arctic Circle. "It's always great to have Sébastien at ROC. He is a smart, spectacularly fast driver and the frozen track will be perfect for him," said ROC co-founder and President, Fredrik Johnsson.
Pite Havsbad, Sweden will host the next ROC WORLD FINAL on February 4-6, 2022 and it will be Loeb's eighth participation. Loeb has been crowned "Champion of Champions" at past ROC events in Gran Canaria, Paris and London. "Winning the Race Of Champions at Stade de France in Paris is one of the best moments in my career," said Loeb. In addition to his individual wins, Loeb has been runner-up four times in that competition and also teamed up with fellow Frenchman, Jean Alesi to take the coveted ROC Nation's Cup in 2004.
For more than thirty years, ROC has drawn many of the most successful racers from every discipline of global motorsports. The event is renowned for attracting superstars from all of the premier leagues in global motorsports including Formula 1, 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, Mattias Ekström, 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 Indy 500 champs Juan-Pablo Montoya and Helio Castroneves.
At the 2022 ROC "Snow + Ice" WORLD FINAL, Loeb will take on a fresh field of motorsports legends in pursuit of the "Champion of Champions" and Nation's Cup titles, over two days of head-to-head racing. "I am still as fast as ever and love to drive on snow and ice," Loeb continued. "The competition at ROC is always very tough and I don’t yet know who will be my teammate representing France, but for sure my aim is to try to win both the Nations Cup and the individual competition.”
"World stars are joining one after another, which is extremely fun for all motorsport fans and for those who want a unique folk festival. Race Of Champions Snow & Ice will be a fast-paced experience with excitement and adventure for the whole family, we invest wholeheartedly in new winter experiences with racing and driving for everyone on snow and ice", says Tobias Lindfors, CEO and owner Pite Havsbad Group.
A unique, winner-takes-all format that gives competitors from every discipline of racing the opportunity to test their talents against competitors they would never typically encounter, ROC has been innovating racing formats for more than three decades. "COVID has given us a great opportunity to return to our roots and build one-of-a-kind courses in natural terrain," Johnsson continued. "The snow and ice is a first."
ROC's "Champions of Champions" individual racing was launched in 1988 and the ROC Nations Cup was introduced in 1999, becoming a fixture in every ROC WORLD FINAL since. Held on the first day of competition, this novel team event has created some fierce rivalries and enduring dynasties, including Germany's dominance from 2007 through 2012 delivered by multiple Formula 1 World Champions and ROC Nations Cup team mates, Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.
As part of ROC's most recent innovations, equipment featured at the 2022 event in Sweden will be powered by either electric or 100% fossil-free biofuel engines. Cars announced to date include the FIA RX2e—an electric rallycross car generating 250kW (335bhp) of power and up to 510 Nm torque—and the new Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 Clubsport. The RX2e accelerates from 0-100km/h in less than 3.3 seconds, while the GT4 makes 425 bhp. The SuperCar Lites will return to ROC, but this time powered by 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")
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.