The 2007
Race of Champions is ready to hit the track at Wembley for the very first time in just under a fortnight, with event organisers promising something for everyone.
The 20th running of the celebrated end-of-season spectacular – which began life in Paris back in 1988 as largely a World Rally Championship benefit, before moving to the Nürburgring, Barcelona, Madrid, Gran Canaria, back to Paris and now London – will unite heroes from a whole variety of motorsport disciplines by pitting them against each other in a series of head-to-head encounters in identical machinery around a highly technical, custom-made, parallel tarmac circuit. Cars will range from a Ford Focus RS WRC ‘07 machine to an Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24, Solution F Touring Cup, FIAT Grande Punto S2000 Abarth and special
Race of Champions buggy.
Amongst the 16 drivers confirmed for 2007 are German racing icon and seven-time
Formula 1 World Champion
Michael Schumacher, fellow grand prix aces
Jenson Button,
David Coulthard,
Sebastian Vettel and 2005
RoC winner
Heikki Kovalainen, double World Rally Champion Marcus Grönholm, three-time World Touring Car Championship title-winner Andy Priaulx, ‘King of Le Mans' Tom Kristensen, twice DTM champ Mattias Ekström, four-time Champ Car Champion Sébastien Bourdais and reigning double NASCAR title-holder Jimmie Johnson, ensuring a star-studded line-up of the very highest calibre.
“The stadium is a little bit shorter than what we have used before,” said co-founder Michèle Mouton, the most successful female rally driver of all time. “We are very pleased with the track, and I hope the drivers will be happy with it too – we always try our best to please them! They are the actors after all. Everyone at Wembley has done a very good job, and so far everything looks good.”
