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.
Also
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.
And 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 www.raceofchampions.com or call +44 161 385 69 25 for less than seven tickets, or +44 207 930
3000 for eight or more.
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.
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