Honda Racing F1 Team star to compete for Great Britain and take on Germany First Brit confirmed for Wembley Stadium event Great Britain to have two teams in ROC Nations Cup
Jenson Button has signed up to fight for national honour this December, by confirming he will compete at Wembley stadium when The Race of Champions returns to the UK for a second successive year on Sunday 14 December. In doing so he has set up the first national grudge match of the event, as Britain tries to wrestle the ROC Nations Cup from its old sporting rivals and reigning champions, Germany.
Last year Team England – made up of Button plus three-time World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx – got through to the semi-finals of the ROC Nations Cup before being knocked out by Germany’s Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, who went on to win. This year, instead of an English and Scottish squad, Team Autosport Great Britain will be the first of two British teams, leaving more options for potential drivers to enter.
“I never thought I’d be able to say I’d compete for my country against Germany at Wembley, but it was great to do that last year, and the crowd were awesome,” said the Honda Racing F1 Team star. “As soon as I heard Schumacher and Vettel had signed up for Germany again, I knew I had to come back to take them on.”
“Last year was the first time I’d done The Race of Champions and, although it’s all a bit of fun and we say it doesn’t matter who wins, I was gutted that we lost out to the German team. It’s the one chance of the year where we all get to compete against each other in identical cars, and I’m determined to help get Britain through to the final this time!”
Schumacher and Vettel were the first drivers to be confirmed for The Race of Champions 2008, which features racing drivers from many different disciplines competing against each other, head-to-head, on a parallel circuit constructed inside Wembley stadium.
Tickets for the event are on sale now by calling 0844 412 1743, or online at raceofchampions.com. Adult prices start at £14.40 (including a 20% discount available until 31 July) and children can get in for as little as £9.
The Race of Champions was started in 1988 by Fredrik Johnsson and Michèle Mouton, the world’s most successful female rally driver.
The Race Of Champions event on December 14 will be made up of two separate competitions – The ROC Nations Cup and The Race of Champions.
Each competition pits drivers against each other in a head-to-head knockout format, with equal equipment ensuring races are won and lost on talent alone.
The ROC Nations Cup features drivers paired into teams based on their nationality. The teams then fight head-to-head against each other in knockout competition. Last year Team Germany (Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel) beat Team Finland (Marcus Grönholm and Heikki Kovalainen) in the final.
The Race Of Champions is a straightforward knockout competition, where 16 drivers go head-to-head until the champion is decided. In last year’s Final, Mattias Ekström beat Michael Schumacher in the third race of a best-of-three battle.
Last year’s competitors were:
Seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher Honda Racing F1 Team driver Jenson Button Triple World Touring Car Champion, Andy Priaulx Red Bull Racing’s David Coulthard Four-time Champ Car Champion Sébastien Bourdais Eight-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen Double DTM Champion Mattias Ekström Double NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson Eight-time X-Games Champion Travis Pastrana Double World Rally Champion, Marcus Grönholm Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 driver, Heikki Kovalainen Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel 1995 British Rally Champion Alister McRae World Touring Car Championship runner-up Yvan Muller 2003 World Rally Champion, Petter Solberg Five-time Norwegian Rally Champion, Henning Solberg
