The elite of motorsport will soon be racing against each other at the Olympic Stadium. Oliver Rudgewick sets the scene.
Stratford is soon to echo with roar of engines as motor racing’s star-studded end-of-season showcase comes to the Olympic Park next month.
The Race of Champions is a two-day event will see some the best racers from Formula One, Moto GP, and Rallycross battle it out to decide the best of the best.
Last year’s victor, David Coulthard, is looking to defend his title on home soil as he takes on four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel, nine-times Le Mans 24-hour king Tom Kristensen, and Rallycross world champion Petter Solberg.
The competition pits 16 racers driving a range of high-powered cars against each other in a round-robin format, with each race lasting three laps. The top eight qualify for the knockout round, before the final series of races. The first driver to win two of these is crowned champion.
The Nation’s Cup will also be taking place. This will see eight countries compete in a similar round-robin format, with the top two from each group going into a knockout stage, before a final deciding series of races.
This will be the third time that London has hosted the closing highlight of the motorsport calendar, after it was held at Wembley Stadium in 2007 and 2008.
The event began in 1988 to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the World Rally Championship. It was staged at the Montlhery track near Paris, with Juha Kankkunen taking the honours.
In 1999 the Nation’s Cup was launched, which allowed racers from all disciplines to compete with drivers from their own nation.
In 2001, non-rally drivers were allowed to race in the main event, which lead to Formula One drivers, sportscar drivers and Moto GP riders taking part.
Frenchmen Didier Auriol has the most Race of Champions wins with four, which all came during the event’s 12-year residency in the Canary Islands up to 2003.
Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel paired up to steer Germany towards domination of the the Nation’s Cup.
* Rising East Sport will be featuring more on the Race of Champions in the build-up to this eagerly anticipated festival of racing.