The 33rd Race of Champions (ROC) roars into action in Sydney this week, marking the event’s first-ever Southern Hemisphere appearance.
Eleven teams, including both established champions and exciting new talent, plus a team of elite sim racers, will contest this year’s Race of Champions across two days of intense competition. This prestigious event continues its tradition of showcasing the best in motorsport.
How the Event Works:
The ROC unfolds in two stages. First, the ROC Nations Cup sees two-driver teams battling head-to-head in a round-robin format, with the top teams advancing to a knockout tournament culminating in a best-of-three final. The individual Race of Champions follows a similar elimination process, also culminating in a best-of-three final.
To ensure fair competition, both drivers in each race will assigned identical cars. Throughout the event, drivers will showcase their versatility behind the wheel of several different vehicles, representing diverse motorsport disciplines.
Team New Zealand’s Debut:
Making their debut in the Nations Cup this weekend is Team New Zealand, represented by Hayden Paddon and Louis Sharp—the first New Zealanders to compete in the ROC.
Paddon, a veteran of 82 World Rally Championship (WRC) events, boasts an impressive record, including victory at the 2016 Rally Argentina, as well as seven New Zealand Rally Championships, two European Rally Championships, and two Asia Pacific Rally Championships.
Sharp, at just 17, is already the 2023 F4 British Champion and reigning GB3 champion, and is heading into Formula 3 with Rodin Motorsport this year.
“It’s crazy to think I was born the same year Sebastian Vettel won his first ROC Nations Cup title, and now I get to race against the very icons I grew up admiring,” Sharp reflects, heading into this weekend’s competition.
The contrast of Paddon’s extensive experience and Sharp’s youthful exuberance promises an exciting dynamic for the New Zealand team.
A Stellar Lineup:
The remaining field boasts an impressive roster of motorsport champions. Four-time F1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel, 13-time Grand Prix winner David Coulthard, and nine-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Loeb headline the competition. Other notable participants include ten-time Grand Prix winner Valtteri Bottas, 11-time X Games gold medalist Travis Pastrana, NASCAR legend Kurt Busch, and two-time Bathurst 1000 winner Chaz Mostert.
Representing Australia will be Team Australia Supercars (Jamie Whincup and Will Brown) and Team Australian Off-Road (Molly Taylor and Toby Price). Team Norway, the reigning Nations Cup champions (Petter Solberg and Oliver Solberg), return to defend their title. Additional competitors include former Formula 1 drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Mick Schumacher, Formula 3 champion Victor Martins, Alister McRae, brother of the legendary Colin McRae, and the yet-to-be-revealed eROC team of sim racing champions.
The Cars:
The ROC’s dynamic and challenging nature is further enhanced by its rotating selection of vehicles. This year’s lineup, unveiled last week, features a mix of rally, off-road, and circuit racing machines, including the FC2 Rallycross, KTM X-Bow Comp R, Polaris RZR Pro R, Subaru BRZ tS, Supercar Lite Rallycross, and Toyota GR86.
Before the Nations Cup kicks off on Friday, drivers will first get the chance to familiarize themselves with the vehicles during practice on Thursday.
Live coverage of the event will be shown on SkySport. With action kicking off at 9:30pm NZT on both Friday and Saturday.
Header Image: Accor Stadium
