Event organisers have revealed the full list of cars that will be used for the first running of the Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium next month.
Ford, Aston Martin and Fiat are amongst those set to be represented in the event which will see a number of motorsport stars – including
Michael Schumacher, Andy Priaulx and Marcus Gronholm – going head-to-head around a circuit inside the famous London stadium.
Ford will provide the Focus WRC for the event, giving Gronholm the chance to continue at the wheel of the car he hopes will help him to clinch the WRC title this weekend in Wales in what will be his final outing before retirement.
With the ‘Blue Oval' having already secured the manufacturers title, Ford Team RS director Jost Capito said he was looking forward to seeing the Focus competing in the event – hopefully with Ford driver as champion behind the wheel.
“We're already manufacturer champions this year and it only remains to put all our weight behind Marcus for the drivers title,” he said. “It can sometimes be difficult to do justice to the skill and bravery required in rally, because the course is so long. The Race of Champions gives us a chance to show-case Marcus and the car in front of all our fans. I'm sure it will be an incredible day.”
For the second season in a row, the Aston Martin N24 will also appear at the event having made its debut in the Stade de France last year. A variant of the V8 Vantage developed for the Nurburgring 24 Hours, the car provided some of the most exciting action in the final year of the Race of Champions in Paris and will again provide the sportscar action for watching fans.
Further rally machinery will come from Fiat, who will supply its Grande Punto S2000 Abarth, a car that counts the European
FIA Rally Championship, the International Rally Challenge and the Italian Rally Championship amongst its titles.
“The famous scorpion badge was chosen as a clear indication of what Abarth was all about,” Abarth's racing operations director, Claudio Berro said. “Small cars with a big sting in the tail!
“Our car is a rally car, therefore it is designed for the tortuous and narrow roads; I think it will do very will on the demanding track at Wembley Stadium!”
