Stars from the World Rally, Formula 1, Champ Car, IRL, Rally-Raid, DTM, Le Mans, NASCAR and GP2 at the Stade de France.
· The list of world class motor sport champions for the 2005 Race of Champions – Nations Cup continues to grow.· Champ Car World Series winner Sébastien Bourdais, 2005 Dakar winner Stéphane Peterhansel, and Britain's Indy Racing League Champion Dan Wheldon all confirmed for the Race of Champions.· Seven-times Le Mans 24 Hours winner Tom Kristensen and DTM’s Mattias Ekström to pair up for Team Scandinavia in the ROC Nations Cup.· Exciting machinery for the ROC clashes: Citroën Xsara WRC, Porsche 911 GT3, Renault Mégane Trophy and ROC Cars, as well as Renault F1, R5 Turbo and Audi S1 demonstration runs, etc.
When it comes to attracting a star-studded line-up of motor sport talent, no event in the world can match the Race of Champions – Nations Cup. And this year again, star names from all the major world class championships will gather in Paris on Saturday, December 3rd to compete one-to-one to the spectacular backdrop of the Stade de France!
World Rally, Formula 1, Champ Car, IRL, Rally-Raid, DTM, Le Mans, NASCAR, GP2… household names from all these disciplines, and more, have already pledged their participation in the 18th anniversary event, and other top names are poised to be announced in the very near future.
For race and rally fans, the 2005 Race of Champions – Nations Cup remains true to its reputation, as a once-a-year opportunity to see the world's most skilled drivers duelling side by side from the ringside comfort of one of Europe's most prestigious stadiums.
A 'Champion of Champions' title to defend
The winner of the 2004 Race of Champions, Heikki Kovalainen, and the two-times World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb were amongst the first to commit to the 2005 Race of Champions – Nations Cup.
"It's an excellent idea to stage an event like the Race of Champions in a major capital like Paris," said the 2004 and 2005 World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb after picking up his tenth win of the season in Catalonia. "It's a unique show for the many people who can't get to see all these drivers in their natural environment. At the Stade de France, you can feel and see the spectators urging you on. When you look at the results of French teams and drivers across the world at the moment, France stands out as a leading motor sport nation. Jean [Alesi] and I will do all we can to win the Nations Cup again, but the level will be very high and nothing says we will succeed."
The line-ups looking to topple the outgoing Nations Cup winners effectively have a great deal going for them.
In addition to last year's runners-up Heikki Kovalainen and Marcus Grönholm from Finland and the teams already confirmed to represent the USA (led by four-times NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon),Great Britain (Team Autosport GB, featuring Colin McRae and David Coulthard) and Brazil (with youngsters Felipe Massa and Nelson Piquet Jr.), Scandinavia is the sixth talent-packed team to confirm its entry.
Denmark's Tom Kristensen, who scored a record-breaking seventh win in the Le Mans 24 Hours earlier this year driving for Audi will join forces with the 2004 DTM Champion Mattias Ekström from Sweden. Kristensen last competed in the Race of Champions – Nations Cup in the Canary Islands in 2001 as part of the All-Stars line-up.
Meanwhile, competing in the Race of Champions part of the competition (individual knock-out competition in which the drivers compete head to head driving identical cars round a parallel, figure-of-eight circuit), the organisers are proud to announce the participation of three more star entries, namely the two-times Champ Car World Series winner Sébastien Bourdais, the 2005 Dakar Rally winner Stéphane Peterhansel and the 2005 Indy Car champion Dan Wheldon.
"It’s great that winning the Champ Car title has opened the door for me again to enter the Race of Champions," said Sébastien Bourdais after claiming his second Champ Car World Series title recently in Australia. "In the international calendar the race has become a must-see and unique event. It’s the perfect opportunity for me to be able to thank the French public for their unbelievable support. The atmosphere last year was incredible and I can’t wait to get back on the track to give the public a fantastic show, with a podium finish I hope!"
After a number wins in the motorbike category, Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel won the 2005 Dakar Rally – on four wheels this time – with Mitsubishi, but this will be his first participation in the Race of Champions and his first taste of the special Stade de France atmosphere. "I am very pleased to have been invited to take part. Having followed the Race of Champions on TV every year, it has always struck me as a major event. It will be fantastic to race with the best drivers from other motor sport disciplines and I can't wait to take on the likes of Sébastien Loeb and the rest," he enthused.
The thoughts of the 2005 Indy Racing League Champion Dan Wheldon follow similar lines: "This is a proud moment for me to receive an invitation to the Race of Champions in Paris," says the British driver. "It will be an honour to race with some of the most respected names in motor sport."
Competitors in the Race of Champions and the Nations Cup will race in a number of exciting cars, from the three-times WRC Manufacturers' championship-winning Citroën Xsara WRC and the powerful Porsche 911 GT3 Road Challenge to the spectacular Renault Mégane Trophy and the celebrated ROC Cars (flat-six, 16-valve, turbocharged engines).
And the entertainment doesn't stop there, for the show will be spiced up with demonstration runs by the 2005 F1 World Championship winning Renault R25, as well as by pedigree rally machinery in the form of Jean Ragnotti's R5 Turbo and the Audi S1. Like last year, stunt driver Terry Grant will also bring the Parisian spectators to their feet with his breathtaking acrobatic driving.
Ticket information
· Prices from 25 € (view of entire circuit from all seats)· Reduced rates for under-16s· Car park: 13 € (advanced sales only)· Information and list of ticket agents: Tel: 0892 700 900 (France only), +33 (1) 41 57 30 65 or stadefrance.com
