Rossi added to ROC field

Alexander Rossi

Alexander Rossi will make his Race Of Champions debut on American soil inside Miami's new baseball stadium, Marlins Park on January 21-22, 2017.

Alexander will join a star-studded ROC Miami field that features many of the greatest stars 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, Alexander's fellow Indianapolis 500 winners Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Tony Kanaan, action sports legend Travis Pastrana, NASCAR champion Kurt Busch and double FIA World Rallycross Champion Petter

Alexander said: “I’m honored to be invited to race in this year’s Race Of Champions. ROC is so well respected in motor sport, bringing together the best drivers from around the world and across every series. This international event is always ultra-competitive and I’m looking forward to the competition and the very first US race venue in Miami. It will also be great to race with my Andretti Autosport team-mate, Ryan Hunter-Reay. I can assure you, neither of us will be holding back."

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 super fast 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.

With today's announcement of Alexander, and compatriot Scott Speed the latest of names in an impressive roll-call, ROC president Fredrik Johnsson said: “We are thrilled to have Alexander and Scott in our field for the first ever Race Of Champions on American soil. Not only are they the only two US drivers to compete in Formula 1 in the last 20 years, they’ve both put in exceptional performances in 2016.

“Alexander’s rookie victory in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 was a stroke of genius from him and his team. Scott has also become an unstoppable force in the Global Rallycross Championship, winning two titles in a row. They are both exciting drivers to watch and now we hope to see plenty of fans inside Miami’s Marlins Park cheering them on to glory against some of the best in the world."

Tickets for ROC Miami are 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.