Whincup in Race of Champions
Friday 25/09/2009 14:30
Author: Briar Gunther | Source: BigPond Sport - copyright
888 car at Phillip Island
2008 V8 Supercar Champion, Jamie Whincup, will be the first four-wheel Aussie to compete in the 21-year history of the Race of Champions.
The TeamVodafone driver is one of 16 drivers from a number of motorsport categories that will take part in the November 2-4 event at the Bird’s Nest in Beijing.
Whincup, 26, will be put to the ultimate test, competing in a variety of cars over the course of the event.
His competitors at the 2008 Olympic Games stadium will include seven-time Formula One champ Michael Schumacher, current F1 points leader Jenson Button and current World Rally Championship points leader Mikko Hirvonen.
With the Bahrain V8 Supercar event not going ahead in November, Whincup was eager to pursue the opportunity now that it does not clash with his V8 commitments.
“I have always wanted to look at the possibility of doing one-off events providing they don’t interrupt our program and preparation at TeamVodafone,” he said.
“Initially I felt the Bahrain event would restrict my chances, but when it was cancelled it opened up the opportunity once more.”
Whincup predicts it will be an awesome experience.
“I will get to race some amazing cars against the likes of Schumacher and Button which is incredibly exciting,” he enthused.
“It will be great to mix it with these guys and find out what makes them tick.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not out there to fill in for (injured driver, Felipe) Massa at Ferrari, it’s all about having fun and hopefully I can help to further raise the profile of V8 Supercars and Australian motorsport in the process.”
Drivers will race on identical custom-created tracks built within the stadium.
A knockout-style format will see them progress through various divisions before two finalists go head-to-head in the ‘super final’.
The vastly-different selection of vehicles will include a Ford Focus WRC, KTM X-Bow, Abarth 500 Assetto Corse, RoC custom car and RX 150.