Driving legends to compete in karts after Saturday’s Race Of Champions
• This week’s Race Of Champions will conclude with a unique chance to see some of the greatest drivers in the world going back to their roots in karting
• After Saturday’s individual ‘Champion of Champions’ is crowned, the greats of F1, Le Mans, IndyCar and Touring Cars will take to karts for a bonus race
• The karts join a stunning line-up of machinery for the main event including the Mercedes-AMG GT S, Ariel Atom Cup and Radical SR3 RSX
• Tickets are still available from www.raceofchampions.com for the action on Friday and Saturday in London’s former Olympic Stadium but get in quick!
Crowds at London’s former Olympic Stadium are in for a special treat this weekend as the assembled driving legends take to the track for a kart race following Saturday’s individual Race Of Champions.
After the overall ‘Champion of Champions’ is crowned on Saturday, the drivers will go back to their roots in karting, battling for supremacy around the iconic London venue. They will compete in two heats, with the top ten drivers progressing to the big final.
This will be the first time that the Race Of Champions has featured a kart race – and it has been made possible by the new, wider pursuit-style track being used for this year’s event, which no longer needs to be separated into two lanes.
The karts join a dazzling line-up of machinery that will feature in the main events on the track: Friday’s ROC Nations Cup and Saturday’s individual Race Of Champions. The paddock will feature stunning cars such as the Mercedes-AMG GT S (pictured), Ariel Atom Cup and Radical SR3 RSX.
Also returning to the line-up are Race Of Champions favourites such as the KTM X-Bow, Euro NASCAR and ROC Car – along with the RX 200 and the RX 150 buggies. It all means the driving royalty present will have to show what they can do in a wide range of different cars, adapting their driving style as they go.
The Race Of Champions is an annual end-of-season contest which has been running for over 25 years. It brings together some of the world’s greatest drivers from motor sport’s major disciplines – including Formula 1, Le Mans, Rallycross, Touring Cars and IndyCar – and sets them free to battle head-to-head in identical machinery.
The event is run over two days: first comes the ROC Nations Cup (on the evening of Friday November 20) when drivers pair up in teams based on nationality to bid for the title of ‘World’s Fastest Nation’. Then on the afternoon of Saturday November 21 it’s time for the Race Of Champions itself, when teamwork goes out of the window and it’s a flat-out battle for individual glory as ‘Champion of Champions’.
Tickets for ROC 2015 in London are now available via www.raceofchampions.com. For access to rights-free high-resolution imagery and to keep up with all the latest news ahead of this year’s event please visit www.raceofchampions.com, Race Of Champions on Facebook plus @raceofchampions and #ROCLondon on Twitter.
Driver line-up for the 2015 Race Of Champions:
• Sebastian VETTEL, four-time Formula 1 World Champion (Team Germany)
• Nico HÜLKENBERG, 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours winner (Team Germany)
• Tom KRISTENSEN, nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner (Team Nordic)
• Petter SOLBERG, reigning FIA World Rallycross Champion (Team Nordic)
• Daniel RICCIARDO, three-time Formula 1 grand prix winner (Team Australia)
• Mick DOOHAN, five-time 500cc MotoGP World Champion (Team Australia)
• Felipe MASSA, 11-time Formula 1 grand prix winner (Team Brazil)
• Nelson PIQUET Jr, reigning FIA Formula E Champion (Team Brazil)
• David COULTHARD, reigning ROC Champion of Champions (Team Scotland)
• Susie WOLFF, Williams Martini Racing Official Test Driver (Team Scotland)
• Jorge LORENZO, triple MotoGP World Champion (Team All Stars)
• Romain GROSJEAN, 2012 ROC Champion of Champions (Team All Stars)
• Jolyon PALMER, 2014 GP2 Champion (Team Young Stars)
• Pascal WEHRLEIN, 2015 DTM Champion (Team Young Stars)
• Ryan HUNTER-REAY, 2014 Indianapolis 500 Winner (Team Americas)
• José Maria LÓPEZ, double World Touring Car Champion (Team Americas)
• Jason PLATO, double British Touring Car Champion (Team England 1)
• Andy PRIAULX, triple World Touring Car Champion (Team England 1)
• Alex BUNCOMBE, 2015 Blancpain Endurance Series Champion (Team England 2)
• Jenson BUTTON, 2009 Formula 1 World Champion (Team England 2)
Full line-up for the ROC Celebrity Skills Challenge presented by TAG Heuer:
• Chris HOY, six-time Olympic gold medallist in cycling
• Ben AINSLIE, four-time Olympic gold medallist in sailing
• Mike TINDALL, 2003 Rugby World Cup winner for England
• Ella EYRE, MOBO award-winning singer/songwriter
• Joey ESSEX, British television personality
• Jon-Allan BUTTERWORTH, multiple medal-winning Paralympic cyclist
• Joko WINTERSCHEIDT, German television personality
• Katarina JOHNSON-THOMPSON, Olympic heptathlete for Team GB
• Denise LEWIS, Olympic gold medallist in heptathlon
• Greg RUTHERFORD, Olympic gold medallist in long jump
