Stunning range of supercars lined up for this month’s Race Of Champions in Miami
The cream of the world's driving superstars are gathering in Miami to find out who is the best of the best. But first they will have to master a mix of machinery that will put all their hard-earned skills to the test, forcing them to adapt their driving style as they make regular switches from car to car.
The scale of the challenge is illustrated by the three vehicles in the ROC paddock for the first time: the Polaris Slingshot SLR is a three-wheeled roadster, the RX Supercar Lite is a rallycross machine (pictured above) while the VUHL 05 ROC Edition is a road-legal lightweight supercar (pictured below) sharpened specifically with Race Of Champions in mind.
VIDEO: TAKE AN EXCLUSIVE FIRST LOOK AT THE VUHL 05 ROC EDITION
The event will feature many classic ROC favorites too, including the Ariel Atom Cup car (which will have components specially prepared for the event including rear wing and handbrake), Radical SR3 RSX, Whelen NASCAR and the ROC Car. Another ROC regular will be back with a brand new design: the KTM X-Bow Comp R.
The star-studded ROC Miami field features many of the greatest stars in world motor sport, including Formula 1 world champions Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button, F1 greats Felipe Massa and David Coulthard, ‘Mr Le Mans' Tom Kristensen, NASCAR champions Kyle and Kurt Busch, Indianapolis 500 winners Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alexander Rossi, Helio Castroneves and Tony Kanaan, IndyCar stars James Hinchcliffe and Gabby Chaves, action sports greats Travis Pastrana and Scott Speed plus FIA World Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg.
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), Dusseldorf'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.
But that's not all. The Race Of Champions has non-stop action from start to finish – featuring stunt shows on four wheels and two wheels plus DJs, cheerleaders and plenty of other entertainment to keep race fans on the edge of their seats.
ROC president Fredrik Johnsson said: "To win the Race Of Champions, drivers need to prove themselves in a wide range of different cars to test their skills and versatility to the limit. At ROC Miami we will feature a wide range of classic ROC favorites and all-new vehicles including the VUHL 05 ROC Edition, RX Supercar Lite and the Polaris Slingshot SLR – the first time we've had a three-wheel roadster.
"The cars are specially prepared for the Race Of Champions and it will be fascinating to see how some of the world's top drivers adapt. It all combines to create a driving challenge that is guaranteed to push all the greats to their limit – and put on a top show for all the fans in the crowd."
Click here to find out more about the cars competing at ROC Miami.
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 ROC's website, 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
Kyle BUSCH, 2015 NASCAR champion
James HINCHCLIFFE, 2016 Indianapolis 500 pole sitter
Helio CASTRONEVES, triple Indianapolis 500 winner