• Latest
  • Trending

Sydney’s Race of Champions lineup takes further shape

January 2, 2025

Zeltwanger in rivals’ sights for Taupo

June 20, 2025
#19 Jacob Douglas,  Pabst Racing, DouglasFay Group, Fleet Cost & Care

Jacob Douglas targets big results at Road America after dominant test pace

June 20, 2025

Jacob Begg takes rookie title in NZ Formula Ford Championship

June 19, 2025

SVG silences critics with Mexico win, but says oval progress still crucial to justify Cup ride

June 19, 2025

Student-designed Penrite Indigenous livery revealed for Darwin

June 19, 2025

Motorsport Diary: Kiwis racing overseas this weekend

June 19, 2025

FIA backs changes to Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy

June 19, 2025

Jaxon Evans proudly debuts Fijian inspired livery for Darwin

June 18, 2025

Yardley doubles down with pole and podium in Montréal Porsche Carrera Cup thriller

June 18, 2025

Van Gisbergen fifth, McLaughlin spun in wild US Legends night at Charlotte

June 18, 2025

Toyota Gazoo Racing Le Mans: Hartley finishes 15th after late drama while #7 crew bring home respectable 5th place finish

June 18, 2025
Saturday, June 21, 2025
VelocityNews
Subscribe
  • International
    • Formula 1
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • Formula E
    • Esports
    • Super GT
    • Super Formula
    • TCR
    • WEC
    • GT
    • Porsche Carrera Cup
    • BTCC
    • DTM
    • IMSA
    • IndyCar
    • Road to Indy
    • NASCAR
    • WRC
    • MotoGP
    • Motorcycle Racing
    • Historic Racing
  • New Zealand
    • Toyota Formula Regional
    • Toyota GR86 Championship
    • Rally
    • Speedway
    • Drifting
    • Formula Ford
    • Formula First
    • TCR NZ
    • TransTasman V8 Series
    • V8 Utes
    • GT New Zealand Championship
    • GTRNZ
    • Central Muscle Cars
    • Pirelli Porsche
    • Mazda Racing Series
    • NZ Endurance Championship
    • NIERDC
    • SIERDC
    • Pro8 South Island Series
    • SsangYong Utes
    • Kartsport
    • NZ Historic Racing
    • NZ General
  • Australia
    • Supercars
    • Super2
    • Australian V8 Touring Car Series
    • Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
    • Porsche Sprint Challenge
    • S5000
    • Australian GT
    • TCR AU
  • Features
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Profile
    • Race Cars
  • Circuit News
  • Velocity TV
  • Performance Cars
  • Jobs
    • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Job Dashboard
No Result
View All Result
VelocityNews
No Result
View All Result

Sydney’s Race of Champions lineup takes further shape

by Matthew Sampson
January 2, 2025
in General
0

The 2025 Race of Champions, to be held at Accor Stadium in Sydney on March 7-8, continues to take shape, with Australia’s two-time Dakar Champion Toby Price the latest addition to the star-studded event.

Price joins Supercars champion Will Brown, rally star Molly Taylor, and seven-time Supercars Champion Jamie Whincup as the four Australian competitors confirmed for the field.

For the first time in Race of Champions (ROC) history, New Zealand will have a team competing in the Nations Cup, with the country’s most successful rally driver Hayden Paddon confirmed for the event late in October last year.

A second Kiwi driver is yet to be confirmed.

Nine-time WRC Champion Sébastien Loeb of France, and a German ‘super team’ of Sebastian Vettel and Mick Schumacher were among the early announcements.

Since then, Norwegian father and son rally duo Petter and Oliver Solberg have been added to the field, as has Finland’s Formula 1 star Valtteri Bottas.

Seven-time FIA World Rallycross Champion Johan Kristoffersson, of Sweden, will participate, as will 11-time X Games gold medalist Travis Pastrana of the United States.

Price is the 13th driver locked in for the star-studded event. Price turned professional at the age of just 16 and won the Australian off-road championship at this first attempt, laying the foundation for an incredible national and international career, which not only included his 2016 and 2019 Dakar Rally victories, but a second placing in 2023 and third places in 2015, 2018 and 2020. 

In recent years he turned his attention to cars/trucks and is the only competitor to have won the famous Finke Desert Race in central Australia on both two and four wheels.

“We have been flat out getting everything together for Dakar and I received a call from Fredrik (Johnsson) out of the blue about being a part of the Race Of Champions,” he said.

“ROC is such a cool event and to be a part of the first version in Australia is pretty exciting to be honest and something to look forward to.”

“We have our heads down making sure we head to Dakar as prepared as we possibly can be in what will be our first attempt in a car.”

“It is nice to know that once we have Dakar behind us we will be returning home to join Jamie (Whincup), Will (Brown) and Molly (Taylor) as part of Team Australia and going up against some of the best in the world.”

The ROC Nations Cup takes place on Friday March 7, with drivers paired in teams based on nationality to bid for the title of ‘World’s Fastest Nation’. 

The Saturday night will see the individual Race Of Champions, when all teamwork goes out of the window and it will be a battle for individual glory and the ‘Champion of Champions’ title.

The cars used in the Race of Champions vary from year to year, but each machine is identical in every respect. During the event, each driver will drive several different vehicles.

In 2023, cars used included the Cupra Urban Rebel Concept, Zeroid X1 Powered by QEV, Supercar Lites, and Polaris RZR buggys.

This year’s Race Of Champions comes two weeks after the 2025 Supercars opener at Sydney Motorsport Park (Feb 21-23) and one week before the opening round of the F1 World Championship in Melbourne (March 13-16).

More superstars from Formula 1, Supercars, Le Mans, Nascar, World Rally & Rally X to be announced in coming weeks, including a second Kiwi driver. Who the second Kiwi driver is remains a mystery, with the event taking place after the Supercars season-opener, and one week before Formula 1’s Melbourne Grand Prix.

A NASCAR Cup Series race at Phoenix Raceway that weekend rules out Kiwi star Shane van Gisbergen as a potential participant. IndyCar, however, begin their season one week earlier.

Tags: Hayden PaddonRace of Champions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Privacy & Policy
  • Contact Us

© 2022 VelocityNews - Independent New Zealand and International Motorsport news.

No Result
View All Result
  • International
    • Formula 1
    • Formula 2
    • Formula 3
    • Formula E
    • Esports
    • Super GT
    • Super Formula
    • TCR
    • WEC
    • GT
    • Porsche Carrera Cup
    • BTCC
    • DTM
    • IMSA
    • IndyCar
    • Road to Indy
    • NASCAR
    • WRC
    • MotoGP
    • Motorcycle Racing
    • Historic Racing
  • New Zealand
    • Toyota Formula Regional
    • Toyota GR86 Championship
    • Rally
    • Speedway
    • Drifting
    • Formula Ford
    • Formula First
    • TCR NZ
    • TransTasman V8 Series
    • V8 Utes
    • GT New Zealand Championship
    • GTRNZ
    • Central Muscle Cars
    • Pirelli Porsche
    • Mazda Racing Series
    • NZ Endurance Championship
    • NIERDC
    • SIERDC
    • Pro8 South Island Series
    • SsangYong Utes
    • Kartsport
    • NZ Historic Racing
    • NZ General
  • Australia
    • Supercars
    • Super2
    • Australian V8 Touring Car Series
    • Porsche Carrera Cup Australia
    • Porsche Sprint Challenge
    • S5000
    • Australian GT
    • TCR AU
  • Features
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Profile
    • Race Cars
  • Circuit News
  • Velocity TV
  • Performance Cars
  • Jobs
    • Jobs
    • Post a Job
    • Job Dashboard

© 2022 VelocityNews - Independent New Zealand and International Motorsport news.