V8 Supercar great Jamie Whincup returns to ROC
Whincup has dominated Australia’s popular V8 Supercar series in recent years, with titles in 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012. He also leads this season’s championship by over 100 points with just three rounds to go.
Last year Whincup became the first Aussie V8 racer ever to appear at the Race Of Champions. In partnership with 500cc MotoGP legend Mick Doohan, he enjoyed a run to the semi-finals of the ROC Nations Cup for Team Australia only to fall to the might of eventual winners Team Germany (Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel). Now Whincup is back for more and hoping to go even further.
Whincup said: "I couldn't be happier to compete at the Race Of Champions again. I really enjoyed my time in Bangkok last year and will use the experience I learnt in my rookie year to be more competitive this year. My biggest weakness last year was getting my head around a left-hand-drive car so I am already on the lookout for a car here in Australia to gain some extra practice."
Held every year since 1988, the Race Of Champions brings together the world’s greatest drivers from motor sport’s main disciplines – including Formula 1, World Rally, Le Mans, IndyCar, Nascar, Touring Cars, MotoGP and the X-Games – and sets them free to battle head-to-head in identical machinery.
ROC 2013 will take place on a specially constructed tarmac track with two parallel lanes winding their way round Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium. Drivers pair up for the ROC Nations Cup, this year scheduled for Saturday 14 December, ahead of the individual Race Of Champions on Sunday 15 December.
ROC features stars from all over the world: seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, 2013 World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier and nine-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen have already signed up and the rest of the 2013 field will be announced in the run-up to December’s event.
Race organizer Fredrik Johnsson said: “It is fantastic to have Jamie back at the Race Of Champions after his debut last year. He is the first V8 Supercar champion to join us and his recent domination of the series shows just what an exceptional driver he is. We hope plenty of Aussie V8 fans will make the journey to Bangkok to cheer their main man on against all the other greats assembling from the world of motor sport."
Ticket details will be released shortly. Media accreditation is open at www.raceofchampions.com until November 15. For further information and access to high-resolution imagery please visit www.raceofchampions.com. Sign up for all the latest updates via Race Of Champions on Facebook or @raceofchampions and the hashtag #BangROC on Twitter.