“I’m sure there’ll be a few spills on Sunday!” said the 1995 British Rally Champion, who will be racing for his
brother, Colin, who was killed in a helicopter accident earlier this year. “The main thing is to put on a good show!
“The
track is probably slightly bigger than I thought and it’s really
slippery with the new tarmac. It’s a completely different discipline;
not like racing and not like rallying. The quickest way would probably
be to drive neat and tidy but we’re here to
entertain!”
Today’s
drivers got a taste of the track and some of the cars they will be
driving against each other on Sunday around the parallel,
tarmac track that was specially constructed at Wembley Stadium for the
unique event.
Pastrana
was most at home in the ROC car, a 1.1-litre multi-terrain vehicle with
the engine of a Honda motorbike, probably thanks to his extensive
Freestyle
Motorcross experience that sees him leaping and somersaulting on dirt
bikes.
“Today
was awesome!” said the reigning American Rally Champion, who also
sampled the Ford Focus WRC car, the Aston Martin V8
Vantage n24, the Solution F and the Fiat Grande Punto S2000 Abarth. “It
was good to drive everything, but honestly the buggie was the best.
It’s the one I felt most at home on. It sure is a helluva lot of fun! I
took off in the WRC car, all four wheels were spinning! It’s
the slickest thing I’ve ever driven in my life!”
With
three-quarters of seats already sold, Wembley’s atmosphere is set to be
electric as fans descend to London’s famous stadium for the
race of the year.
“This weekend is set to be a great contest,” said Fredrik Johnsson, President of event organisers IMP. “We have a superb mixture of young and established drivers all
there to enjoy themselves and give fans the best show.
“We’re
getting some really good feedback about the track and with Wembley’s
set-up ensuring a great view from any seat, the public is in for a
great
day.”
All The Race of Champions action will be broadcast live on the ROC website, www.raceofchampions.com/live,
starting from 14:00 GMT. For your last chance to get tickets to The
Race of Champions, go to Wembley Stadium’s East ticket window
from 10am on Sunday (16 December).
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