Wembley Stadium has been transformed into a tarmac circuit ready for The Race of Champions in just under two weeks’ time and organisers today announced further plans for the entertainment line-up.
In between The Race of Champions heats, which will see the world’s best drivers compete to be named Champion of Champions, drivers and fans alike will be wowed by a series of daredevil exhibitions, including bike stunts and Formula 1 car demonstrations.
With trick names like the Superman Backflip, Tsunami and Cliff Hanger, the Red Bull Freestyle X Fighters’ Moto Exhibition is bound to be a crowd-pleaser with motocross master Mat Rebeaud headlining. Red Bull Freestyle X FightersAlso on two-wheels, street bike freestyle rider and Moto-stunt World Champion Chris Pfeiffer will be giving the crowd his trick tips, demonstrating a series of spectacular donuts and wheelies, making full use of the compact ROC track with his versatile machine.
“The bikes are always a really popular element of the show,” said Fredrik Johnsson, President of event organisers IMP. “They’re so agile; the tricks they perform are really amazing, and always have the crowds on their feet.”
This year, for the first time, The Race of Champions has modified the 1km parallel track to include a special donut zone so the dynamic exhibitions from Red Bull & Toro Rosso F1, Audi Le Mans and DTM-winning cars will have centre stage and plenty of room for extra burn-outs and wheel spins.
“We wanted to make sure these stunt drivers could give the fans the best show possible,” said Johnsson, who says the noise of an F1 car in a stadium is awesome. “Having a dedicated area means they’ll be able to be even more adventurous than previous years, and the fans were never disappointed then so this year will be amazing!”
Fifteen-time world record holder Terry Grant, who has been a crowd favourite in Paris for the last three years, will also be making his ROC comeback. His spectacular show is like nothing ROC newcomers will have seen before, with the former banger racer leaping from moving cars and making his modified motors perform to order.The Audi S1 Group B Rally carAnd finally, to mark this 20th edition of The Race of Champions, the fabulous Audi S1 Group B Rally car as driven by all the official world rally champions from 1979-1992 in The Race of Champions 1988, 1989 & 1990 will also be making an appearance.
Sixteen drivers are confirmed for The Race of Champions, many of them multiple champions from disciplines including F1, touring cars, NASCAR, Champ Car, rally and sports car.
They will be competing in identical cars around the specially-designed parallel track watched by an expected 80,000 crowd, all with a perfect view of every second of action.
To book tickets for The Race of Champions, go to raceofchampions.com or call +44 161 385 69 25 for less than seven tickets, or +44 207 930 3000 for eight or more.
The ROC was created in 1988 by Fredrik Johnsson and the world’s best woman rally driver Michèle 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 Sébastien Bourdais Seven-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen Two-time DTM Champion Mattias Ekström Reigning NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson Eight-time X-Games Champion Travis Pastrana Double World Rally Champion, Marcus Grönholm Renault F1’s Heikki Kovalainen 1995 British Rally Champion Alister McRae World Touring Car Championship star Yvan Muller 2003 World Rally Champion, Petter Solberg Five-time Norwegian Rally Champion, Henning Solberg
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.
