Ekström and Kristensen join 2009 ROC

Sweden’s Mattias Ekström, the two-times DTM champion who moved to within a point of the lead in this year’s series following Sunday’s Nürburgring round, is the latest driver to sign up to compete in The 2009 Race of Champions, at the Bird’s Nest stadium in Beijing on November 3- 4. Fellow DTM driver and eight-times Le Mans winner, Tom Kristensen, from Denmark, has also announced he will be competing, and together they will form a formidable pairing in The ROC Nations Cup, as Team Scandinavia.

The duo has represented Scandinavia in the event for the past four years, winning the ROC Nations Cup in 2005, when they defeated France, and then narrowly missing out on a double last year in the final against Team Germany’s Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel. The pair is looking forward to November for the chance to exact revenge and seize back the ROC Nations Cup.

“We can’t wait to race against Michael and Sebastian again, as we were disappointed they got the better of us at Wembley. The Bird’s Nest is a fantastic place for this year’s event and a brilliant way for us to finish the season," said Ekström, who has scored consistently in DTM this year for Audi Sport Team Abt.

Kristensen is similarly excited by the prospect. “It’s a great event that I always enjoy being part of: fun, relaxed and professional. Racing with Mattias, we have a pretty good track record and I’m really looking forward to competing in Beijing for the first time."