ROC Legends to race in Düsseldorf
The event will be run as a precursor to the individual Race Of Champions and feature a four-man field consisting of Formula 1 racers Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Jos Verstappen and Hans-Joachim Stuck plus world rally veteran Armin Schwarz. Each driver will race against each of the others in a round-robin group stage before the two with the best results go through to a head-to-head final.
The four competitors have all kept active in motor sport and they will doubtless be determined to show the crowds they can still mix it with the best. This special race is therefore sure to provide a bonus thrill for the spectators in the stadium – particularly for those from Germany and The Netherlands, who will have a chance to see even more of their home heroes in action.
Frentzen said: “I’m really looking forward to competing in the ROC Legends at the Race Of Champions. I had great fun at a previous ROC Legends event in Portugal in 2009. Now that I have just moved back to Germany and Düsseldorf and the race is taking place in my home town it will be fantastic to compete in front of my family and friends. I can actually see the ESPRIT arena from my house!"
Verstappen added: “The Race Of Champions is an exceptional event in motorsport with many spectators. It is quite sensational to race in a stadium with so many fans: I have never done it before and I look forward to being competitive in ROC Legends and racing against Frentzen, Stuck and Schwarz."
ROC race organizer Fredrik Johnsson said: “The Race Of Champions has a long history of legends who have competed since the first event in 1988. As such it’s great to have a chance to put on this special show involving a few of the local German and Dutch legends from the recent past. They are all still top racers and their battles are sure to provide first-class entertainment for the ROC fans in the stadium."
The Race Of Champions is an annual end-of-season competition that brings together the world’s greatest drivers from all motor sport’s disciplines – including Formula 1, world rally, touring cars, Le Mans and the X-Games – and sets them free to battle head-to-head in identical machinery on a specially constructed parallel track. Drivers pair up for the ROC Nations Cup, this year scheduled for Saturday 3 December, before the individual Race Of Champions takes place on Sunday 4 December.
Five drivers have been confirmed so far for ROC 2011, including F1 world champions Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button. Plenty more big names will be added in the run-up to the event at Düsseldorf in December.