Chaves joins 2017 Race Of Champions
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| Gabby Chaves |
Gabby Chaves will join fellow IndyCar Series driver Juan Pablo Montoya in the ROC Nations Cup at Marlins Park on January 22 after being confirmed as the second half of Team Colombia during an event staged at Miami’s Mana Wynwood Production Village this evening.
The 23-year-old from Bogota was just six when Montoya won his Champ Car World Series title in 1999, but has already accumulated plenty of silverware in his short career.
A karting and junior single-seater champion, Chaves came to wider attention by winning the Indy Lights title in 2014 before claiming IndyCar’s Rookie of the Year crown 12 months later. He was also top debutant at that season's Indy 500.
2016 has seen Chaves mix IndyCar with IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship outings aboard the unique DeltaWing. And that versatility is sure to stand him in good stead when making his Race Of Champions debut in little over a month’s time.
Chaves joins a star-studded ROC Miami field that features many of the biggest names in world motor sport. Confirmed racers include four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel, fellow F1 star Felipe Massa, ‘Mr Le Mans’ Tom Kristensen, Indianapolis 500 winners Montoya, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Tony Kanaan and Alexander Rossi, action sports legend Travis Pastrana, rallycross greats Petter Solberg and Scott Speed plus NASCAR champion Kurt Busch. Even more big names will be announced in the run-up to January’s event.
The Race Of Champions is an annual contest which has been held for over 25 years. It brings together some of the world’s greatest drivers from motor sport’s major disciplines – including Formula 1, NASCAR, IndyCar, Le Mans, MotoGP, Touring Cars, World Rally and action sports – and sets them free to battle head-to-head in identical machinery. All the racing takes place in a stunning range of superfast cars.
The ROC event is run over two days: first comes the Race Of Champions itself (on Saturday, January 21) featuring a flat-out battle for individual glory. Then on Sunday, January 22 comes the ROC Nations Cup when drivers pair up in teams based on nationality to bid for the title of ‘World’s Fastest Nation’. In 2017, this will see America take on the rest of the world in a special contest in celebration of the host venue.
In recent years, ROC has visited the Stade de France in Paris (2004-2006), London’s Wembley Stadium (2007-2008), the ‘Bird’s Nest’ Olympic Stadium in Beijing (2009), Düsseldorf’s Esprit Arena (2010-2011), the Rajamangala Stadium in Bangkok (2012), Bushy Park Barbados (2014) and London’s former Olympic Stadium (2015).
Now the event is heading to the United States for the first time to soak up the heat of Miami. Florida’s sports fans will have a chance to watch the speediest action Marlins Park has ever seen as many of the world’s greatest drivers push to the absolute limit on a specially-designed racing track winding its way around the infield and outfield.
Tickets for ROC Miami are now available via www.raceofchampions.com. For access to rights-free high-resolution imagery and to keep up with all the latest news ahead of this year’s event please visit www.raceofchampions.com, Race Of Champions on Facebook plus @raceofchampions and #ROCMiami on Twitter.
Drivers already confirmed for ROC Miami:
Sebastian VETTEL, four-time Formula 1 world champion
Tom KRISTENSEN, nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner
Petter SOLBERG, double FIA World Rallycross champion
Juan-Pablo MONTOYA, 2015 Indianapolis 500 winner
Ryan HUNTER-REAY, 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner
Tony KANAAN, 2013 Indianapolis 500 winner
Felipe MASSA, 11-time Formula 1 grand prix winner
Kurt BUSCH, 2004 NASCAR champion
Travis PASTRANA, action sports legend
Scott SPEED, double Global Rallycross champion
Alexander ROSSI, 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner
David COULTHARD, 13-time Formula 1 grand prix winner
Jenson BUTTON, 2009 Formula 1 world champion