Adam Carroll’s exploits for the pride of his nation in A1GP World Cup of Motorsport have not gone un-noticed as the A1 Team Ireland driver has been invited to represent his country at the Race of Champions at London’s Wembley Stadium on the 14 December.
The driver from Portadown has taken his team to the top of the points’ standing in the series and now he is hoping to beat all comers, which will include seven times Formula One World Champion, Michael Schumacher, at the event which will see him drive rally cars and buggies. He will be teamed up with Irish rally star Gareth MacHale with this being the first time Ireland has been represented in this event.
“I am really looking forward to competing in the Race of Champions,” commented Carroll, ”because not only will it be great fun but also really interesting to drive so many types of vehicles against such an impressive line up of competitors. It’s a unique opportunity to perform in such a famous venue as the new Wembley Stadium and to give motorsport fans a lot of entertainment over the course of one day. From a driving point of view, I am particularly looking forward to driving the World Rally Car and the buggies.”
Fredrik Johnsson, President of event organisers IMP, said: “Ireland has a very rich heritage in motorsport. The fans there, especially in rallying, are among the most enthusiastic and passionate in the world, while the country has produced some wonderful drivers, from Eddie Irvine to Damien Faulkner.
“That’s why I am delighted to announce the first team to represent Ireland in The Race of Champions – they will have their work cut out as the new boys, but I’m certain they will rise to the challenge and, with the luck of the Irish on their side, who knows what they will achieve.”
With a host of well-known motorsport names including Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Tom Kristensen and Andy Priaulx, Ireland’s star-driver will take part in the ultimate racing celebration, which pits the best competitors from the world of two and four-wheeled motorsport together to show off their abilities on an asphalt track constructed on top of Wembley’s famous pitch.
Sixteen drivers will compete in a series of knockout heats in their own division to determine their class champion. Then, in a shoot-out to determine who is the master of motorsport, the winners from the two divisions will go head-to-head in a super final with the winner rewarded with the title “The Champion of Champions”.
ABOUT THE RACE OF CHAMPIONS
The Race of Champions was started in 1988 by Fredrik Johnsson and Michèle Mouton, the world’s most successful female rally driver.
The event will take place in Wembley Stadium on Sunday 14 December, on a specially constructed asphalt circuit.
The Race Of Champions event on December 14 will be made up of two separate competitions – The ROC Nations Cup and The Race of Champions.
Each competition pits drivers against each other in a head-to-head knockout format, with equal equipment ensuring races are won and lost on talent alone.
The ROC Nations Cup features drivers paired into teams based on their nationality. The teams then fight head-to-head against each other in knockout competition. Last year Team Germany (Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel) beat Team Finland (Marcus Grönholm and Heikki Kovalainen) in the final.
The Race Of Champions is a straightforward knockout competition, where 16 drivers go head-to-head until the champion is decided. In last year’s Final, Mattias Ekström beat Michael Schumacher in the third race of a best-of-three battle.
Already confirmed for The Race of Champions 2008 are:
Seven-times F1 World Champion Michael Schumacher (Team Germany)
Eight-times Le Mans 24 Hour Winner Tom Kristensen (Team Scandinavia)
Five-times World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb (Team France)
Triple World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx (Team Autosport Great Britain)
World Touring Car Champion and former British Touring Car Champion Yvan Muller (Team France)
Triple Superbike World Champion Troy Bayliss (Team Australia)
Double DTM Champion and two-times Race of Champions winner Mattias Ekström (Team Scandinavia)
Nine-times X Games Gold Medallist Travis Pastrana (Team USA)
2007 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion Carl Edwards (Team USA)
Red Bull Racing F1’s David Coulthard (Team F1 Racing Great Britain)
Honda Racing F1 Team race winner Jenson Button (Team Autosport Great Britain)
Toro Rosso F1 racer Sebastian Vettel (Team Germany)
| 
|