What is Race of Champions (RoC) ?
Race of Champions is an event that takes place at the end of every calender year. It is basically a racing event in which drivers from different fields (F1, WRC, NASCAR, etc..) compete in identical machinery on parallel tracks.
It was started in 1988 in the memory of Henri Toivonen and Sergio Cresto. Henri was a rally driver born in 1956 in Finland. Sergio Cresto was his co-driver and they were active for abt 11 years from 1975-1986. They participated in abt 40 rallies and won 3 of them. their death during the 1986 Tour de Corse, a world rally around the island of Corsica, shocked the world and lead to the banning of Group B cars from WRC.
Group A cars were basically production cars with very light modifications. Group B had no restrictions. This meant almost unlimited power with very high boost turbochargers and superchargers. This led to cars becoming more and more powerful and Henri Toivonen said during the fatal Tour de Corse that the car was too powerful for the track. Anyway, after this fatal crash in which the car was burned beyond identification, Group B cars were banned.
So, coming back to the RoC, it was started in 1988 by Michèle Mouton and Fredrik Johnson in the memory of Henri toivonen and Sergio Cresto.
Every year has featured an individual champion, and many have featured other contests. The top individual wins the Henri Toivonen Memorial trophy and given the title, Champion of Champions.
The Nations Cup was added in 1999. Each nation fields one rally driver and one circuit racer. The Nations Cup was added in 1999. Each nation fields one rally driver and one circuit racer. The second driver often comes from the World Rally Championship, Formula 1, NASCAR, CCWS, IRL, or Grand Prix.
After three years based at the Stade de France in Paris, it was announced on 2006-12-17 that the 2007 event would be held at the new Wembley Stadium in London on 16th December 2007.
The Good Cause
The drivers taking part in RoC also help to raise money for ICM which carries out ground-breaking research into brain damage and head trauma.
The ICM will be The ROC's official charity for the fourth consecutive year and a portion of profits from tickets sales will be given to the charity, whose representatives are expected to be at Wembley Stadium.
They will also receive signed, exclusive racing gear to auction from the drivers, as well as appeals on TV broadcasts.
Schumacher added: "I will race in London because The Race of Champions is supporting ICM, an initiative which I am extremely proud about being part of.
"To me, combining the racing and the charity is the perfect option.
"My part in this organisation is rather small, as the other founder members are extraordinary people, but I am happy to at least support ICM with trying to heighten the awareness about it."
For more information on ICM visit the website at ICM.
The Line-up for this year's RoC was..
England ---- Andy Priaulx(European Touring Car Championship champion, and three times World Touring Car Championship champion) and Jenson Button(Formula 1 driver for Honda F1)
Finland -- Marcus Grönholm(Double WRC champion) and Heikki Kovalainen(winner of 2004 RoC and current Formula 1 driver)
France --- Yvan Muller(British touring car champion) and Sébastien Bourdais(F1 test driver)
Germany --- Sebastian Vettel(F1 driver) Michael Schumacher (7-time F1 world champion and one of the greatest drivers ever)
Norway --- Henning Solberg and Petter Solberg (both WRC drivers and brothers. Petter has won the WRC championship in 2003 in a Subaru)
Scandinavia --- Tom Kristensen(7-time winner of the Le Mans 24-hrs) and Mattias Ekström (DTM driver for audi and has won the DTM championship once)
Scotland --- Alister McRae(Actually WRC champion Colin McRae was supposed to take part but he died along with his young son in a helicopter crash in September 2007. So, his younger brother Alistair replaced him in the RoC) and David Coulthard (veteran F1 driver)
USA --- Travis Pastrana(motorsports competitor who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing) and Jimmie Johnson (current NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race car driver )
Details of results for The Nations cup
Results of the Race of Champions
Schu: RoC just for kicks
Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher says he just wants to have fun in Sunday's Race of Champions showdown at Wembley, despite being matched up against some of the greatest names in motorsport.
The Ferrari legend will be joined in the shoot-out by WRC ace Sebastien Loeb, NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson, three-time world touring car champion Andy Priaulx among others.
But for Schumi, who retired from Formula 1 at the end of 2006, the London event is just for kicks.
“I remember having a lot of fun,†said Schumacher, looking back on his RoC debut in 2004.
“I thought it was a marvellous event, especially for the spectators who really seemed to enjoy themselves and cheered us all up.
“But it was also extremely funny for us drivers, who got to know each other a bit better, competing for fun. So I have only good memories on this last event I was participating.â€
When asked to evaluate his competition Schumacher was cautious of his chances and high in praise.
"All of these guys are good in their way,†he said.
“The whole room is full of fantastic drivers in very different categories. I don’t think it’s fair to mention one; how can you?â€
Schu beaten to RoC title, again
Retired Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher was beaten to the Race of Champions crown by reigning title-holder and DTM king Matthias Ekstrom at Wembley on Sunday.
But the seven-time world champion vowed to return to the RoC in the future after losing out in the final for the second time, having been defeated by Heikki Kovalainen in 2005.
"There is no reason why not," he said, when asked if would try again next year.
"I have had a good time and if the guys want me I will be back."
Schumacher and Ekstrom shared a win apiece in the three-heat final, but the 38-year-old German spun his Solution-F special on the final corner of the last heat while chasing Ekstrom.
"I was sliding behind so it was all or nothing and it went in to nothing," explained Schumacher.
"Obviously it is a very big difference from my competitive days, which were all pressure, concentration and focus, just as in work.
"But here you just enjoy yourself, you win, you lose it doesn't really matter."
The event comprised some of the biggest names in world motorsport including WRC ace Marcus Gronholm, four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais and triple WTCC title-holder Andy Priaulx.
Run in shoot-out heats, 16 drivers competed for the RoC crown and the Nation's Cup in a number of different machines on the temporary asphalt circuit inside Wembley Stadium.
It wasn't all bad news for Schu though, who shared the Nation's Cup trophy with German team-mate Sebastian Vettel.
In fact the 20-year-old Scuderia Toro Rosso hotshoe was one of the stars of the show, beating Gronholm in the Nation's Cup final, making up for an earlier error by Schumacher who stalled in his heat against new McLaren signing Heikki Kovalainen.
Race of Champions is an event that takes place at the end of every calender year. It is basically a racing event in which drivers from different fields (F1, WRC, NASCAR, etc..) compete in identical machinery on parallel tracks.
It was started in 1988 in the memory of Henri Toivonen and Sergio Cresto. Henri was a rally driver born in 1956 in Finland. Sergio Cresto was his co-driver and they were active for abt 11 years from 1975-1986. They participated in abt 40 rallies and won 3 of them. their death during the 1986 Tour de Corse, a world rally around the island of Corsica, shocked the world and lead to the banning of Group B cars from WRC.
Group A cars were basically production cars with very light modifications. Group B had no restrictions. This meant almost unlimited power with very high boost turbochargers and superchargers. This led to cars becoming more and more powerful and Henri Toivonen said during the fatal Tour de Corse that the car was too powerful for the track. Anyway, after this fatal crash in which the car was burned beyond identification, Group B cars were banned.
So, coming back to the RoC, it was started in 1988 by Michèle Mouton and Fredrik Johnson in the memory of Henri toivonen and Sergio Cresto.
Every year has featured an individual champion, and many have featured other contests. The top individual wins the Henri Toivonen Memorial trophy and given the title, Champion of Champions.
The Nations Cup was added in 1999. Each nation fields one rally driver and one circuit racer. The Nations Cup was added in 1999. Each nation fields one rally driver and one circuit racer. The second driver often comes from the World Rally Championship, Formula 1, NASCAR, CCWS, IRL, or Grand Prix.
After three years based at the Stade de France in Paris, it was announced on 2006-12-17 that the 2007 event would be held at the new Wembley Stadium in London on 16th December 2007.
The Good Cause
The drivers taking part in RoC also help to raise money for ICM which carries out ground-breaking research into brain damage and head trauma.
The ICM will be The ROC's official charity for the fourth consecutive year and a portion of profits from tickets sales will be given to the charity, whose representatives are expected to be at Wembley Stadium.
They will also receive signed, exclusive racing gear to auction from the drivers, as well as appeals on TV broadcasts.
Schumacher added: "I will race in London because The Race of Champions is supporting ICM, an initiative which I am extremely proud about being part of.
"To me, combining the racing and the charity is the perfect option.
"My part in this organisation is rather small, as the other founder members are extraordinary people, but I am happy to at least support ICM with trying to heighten the awareness about it."
For more information on ICM visit the website at ICM.
The Line-up for this year's RoC was..
England ---- Andy Priaulx(European Touring Car Championship champion, and three times World Touring Car Championship champion) and Jenson Button(Formula 1 driver for Honda F1)
Finland -- Marcus Grönholm(Double WRC champion) and Heikki Kovalainen(winner of 2004 RoC and current Formula 1 driver)
France --- Yvan Muller(British touring car champion) and Sébastien Bourdais(F1 test driver)
Germany --- Sebastian Vettel(F1 driver) Michael Schumacher (7-time F1 world champion and one of the greatest drivers ever)
Norway --- Henning Solberg and Petter Solberg (both WRC drivers and brothers. Petter has won the WRC championship in 2003 in a Subaru)
Scandinavia --- Tom Kristensen(7-time winner of the Le Mans 24-hrs) and Mattias Ekström (DTM driver for audi and has won the DTM championship once)
Scotland --- Alister McRae(Actually WRC champion Colin McRae was supposed to take part but he died along with his young son in a helicopter crash in September 2007. So, his younger brother Alistair replaced him in the RoC) and David Coulthard (veteran F1 driver)
USA --- Travis Pastrana(motorsports competitor who has won championships and X Games gold medals in several events, including supercross, motocross, freestyle motocross, and rally racing) and Jimmie Johnson (current NASCAR NEXTEL Cup race car driver )
Details of results for The Nations cup
Results of the Race of Champions
Schu: RoC just for kicks
Seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher says he just wants to have fun in Sunday's Race of Champions showdown at Wembley, despite being matched up against some of the greatest names in motorsport.
The Ferrari legend will be joined in the shoot-out by WRC ace Sebastien Loeb, NASCAR champ Jimmie Johnson, three-time world touring car champion Andy Priaulx among others.
But for Schumi, who retired from Formula 1 at the end of 2006, the London event is just for kicks.
“I remember having a lot of fun,†said Schumacher, looking back on his RoC debut in 2004.
“I thought it was a marvellous event, especially for the spectators who really seemed to enjoy themselves and cheered us all up.
“But it was also extremely funny for us drivers, who got to know each other a bit better, competing for fun. So I have only good memories on this last event I was participating.â€
When asked to evaluate his competition Schumacher was cautious of his chances and high in praise.
"All of these guys are good in their way,†he said.
“The whole room is full of fantastic drivers in very different categories. I don’t think it’s fair to mention one; how can you?â€
Schu beaten to RoC title, again
Retired Formula 1 legend Michael Schumacher was beaten to the Race of Champions crown by reigning title-holder and DTM king Matthias Ekstrom at Wembley on Sunday.
But the seven-time world champion vowed to return to the RoC in the future after losing out in the final for the second time, having been defeated by Heikki Kovalainen in 2005.
"There is no reason why not," he said, when asked if would try again next year.
"I have had a good time and if the guys want me I will be back."
Schumacher and Ekstrom shared a win apiece in the three-heat final, but the 38-year-old German spun his Solution-F special on the final corner of the last heat while chasing Ekstrom.
"I was sliding behind so it was all or nothing and it went in to nothing," explained Schumacher.
"Obviously it is a very big difference from my competitive days, which were all pressure, concentration and focus, just as in work.
"But here you just enjoy yourself, you win, you lose it doesn't really matter."
The event comprised some of the biggest names in world motorsport including WRC ace Marcus Gronholm, four-time Champ Car champion Sebastien Bourdais and triple WTCC title-holder Andy Priaulx.
Run in shoot-out heats, 16 drivers competed for the RoC crown and the Nation's Cup in a number of different machines on the temporary asphalt circuit inside Wembley Stadium.
It wasn't all bad news for Schu though, who shared the Nation's Cup trophy with German team-mate Sebastian Vettel.
In fact the 20-year-old Scuderia Toro Rosso hotshoe was one of the stars of the show, beating Gronholm in the Nation's Cup final, making up for an earlier error by Schumacher who stalled in his heat against new McLaren signing Heikki Kovalainen.