Wembley Stadium�s famous football pitch is set to be tarmacked in less than four weeks' time when newly-appointed contractors FM Conway pave the way for The Race of Champions next month.
The spectacular event will see the world�s most famous racing drivers, including Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard and Jenson Button, go head-to-head in a champion of champions decider.
FM Conway, the company of 2006 British F3 Champion Mike Conway�s father, has recently been appointed to get Wembley ready for the task and will start transforming the London landmark with 1,800 tonnes of tarmac on 24 November.The Race of Champions as it appeared last year in the Stade de France �There�s been a lot of planning to this over the last couple of months,� said FM Conway�s Contracts Director Brian Morris, who says a team of 40 men will work night and day to get the track ready in time. �We went to the Stade de France to see The Race of Champions last year so we know what we�re letting ourselves in for!�
The circuit design, which sees two lanes running parallel to allow drivers to race within the confines of the stadium, has been modified to account for Wembley's dimensions. �We have tested the new layout and from that we can see it will be very interesting," said Mich�le Mouton, co-founder of The Race of Champions, who is still arguably the world�s most successful woman in motorsport after a glittering rally career in the 1980s.
"Working at Wembley will present some issues we haven�t encountered before. The ground slopes away from the pitch and we have to work on this camber, which will be the main problem this year for me.�Assistant Race Director, Marc Duez, thinks the camber will add drama to the racing. �We have four corners with opposite camber,� said the Belgian former race and rally driver. �It gives the cars a certain roll; they have less grip than in a normal corner so we hope that it will provide even more spectacular racing!�
The Race of Champions is a unique motorsport format that sees drivers from all genres racing against each other in a stadium environment, allowing the expected 80,000 fans uninterrupted views of every second of action.
"Transforming Wembley Stadium into a proper tarmac race track in five days is a huge and costly project," said Fredrik Johnsson, President of event organisers IMP. "Just to re-lay the famous football pitch after The Race of Champions costs over �150,000, but the result is spectacular!"
Timeline
Saturday 24 NovemberCondition surveyInduction of operational team (40 workers)Lay aluminium protection plates on the turf
Monday 26 NovemberPlace concrete safety barriers to perimeterPlace and compact 2,500 tonnes of sub-basePlace 100 tonne bridge and ramp units
Wednesday 28 November
Lay 1,800 tonnes of tarmac
Thursday 27 November
Finishing touches to curbs
Line marking
Jet cleaning
Friday 29 November
Hand over to The Race of Champions
The ROC was created in 1988 by Fredrik Johnsson and the world�s best woman rally driver Mich�le Mouton.
The premise is simple: using identical equipment and track, drivers can prove themselves based on talent alone. The drivers compete in a series of knockout heats in their own division to determine their class champion. Then, in a shoot-out to determine who is the master of motorsport, the winners go head-to-head in a super final. The victor is awarded the title �The Champion of Champions�.
Drivers confirmed for 2007 include:
Seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher Formula One star Jenson Button Reigning World Touring Car Champion, Andy Priaulx Red Bull Racing�s David Coulthard Scuderia Toro Rosso�s Sebastian Vettel Four-time Champ Car Champion S�bastien Bourdais Seven-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen Two-time DTM Champion Mattias Ekstr�m Reigning NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson Eight-time X-Games Champion Travis Pastrana Double World Rally Champion, Marcus Gr�nholm Renault F1�s Heikki Kovalainen This traditional end-of-season showdown attracts spectators from across Europe. For three years the event, held at the Stade de France in Paris, has attracted well over 50,000 spectators each year.
Action from the Race of Champions 2006 was broadcast in over 200 countries and watched by more than 186 million viewers.
