Race Of Champions makes historic switch to Saudi Arabia

[Saif al-Arab]

GENERAL BREAKING NEWS

Race Of Champions makes historic switch to Saudi Arabia​

​

By: Charles Bradley, Global Editor-in-Chief
Yesterday at 8:52pm
The Race Of Champions will become the first-ever international motorsport event to take part in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in early 2018.
Saudi Arabia will become the 10th country to host the end-of-season, head-to-head racing extravaganza when Race Of Champions travels to the Middle East for the first time in its 30-year history.

The two-day event will be held in early 2018 at King Fahd International Stadium in the nation’s capital, Riyadh, in partnership with the General Sports Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Nicknamed ‘The Pearl’, the stadium usually hosts football and athletics events.

ROC will once again unite superstar drivers from across the world of motorsport for a final, winner-takes-all showdown in celebration of the 2017 season. Formula 1, Le Mans, IndyCar and Rallycross will all be represented in ROC’s unique head-to-head competition to determine the next Champion of Champions.

An official statement read: “Further details, driver announcements and exact dates for ROC’s Saudi Arabian debut will be announced shortly, but the General Sports Authority has confirmed that Race Of Champions will be a family event, open to both genders and feature drivers, exhibitions and activities all suitable for the Kingdom’s specific cultural requirements.”


ROC President Fredrik Johnsson and his Excellence Turki Al-Sheikh, President of the General Sport Authority of Saudi Arabia
Photo by: Race of Champions

Time of great change
The move comes at a time of change in the Arabian state, which is the fifth-largest in Asia and second only in size to Algeria in the Arab world.

Last month, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman issued a royal decree that it was easing restrictions on women driving from next year. Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the 32-year-old son of the king, has also laid out a reform package for the kingdom’s economy and society called Saudi Vision 2030.

Want motorsport news in your inbox?
Sign up for our newsletters!

“Our organisation is honoured to be working with the President of the General Sports Authority, his Excellency Turki Al-Sheikh, to bring Race Of Champions to the region for the first time in the event’s 30-year history,” said Fredrik Johnsson, Race Of Champions President.

“As motorsport’s most forward-thinking property, ROC is an event perfectly suited to Saudi Arabia, which is emerging as a modern sports market on the global stage.

“With women able to drive in Saudi Arabia from 2018, we feel this is an auspicious moment to be bringing a motorsport event to Riyadh. Race Of Champions is more than just a race: it is a truly global contest that includes many of the world’s best drivers along with top-quality entertainment for families.”


Team Germany Sebastian Vettel, beats Team Colombia Juan Pablo Montoya, driving the Ariel Atom Cup
Photo by: Race of Champions

Miami return also on the cards
Riyadh’s 75,000-capacity King Fahd Stadium will join a list of prestigious venues to have hosted ROC that include Beijing’s Bird’s Nest and London’s Olympic stadiums, the iconic Stade de France in Paris and Wembley Stadium in London, plus Miami’s Marlins Park – the event’s first North American destination.

ROC organisers are also in the process of agreeing upon the site of its 2018 season finale, which is expected to return to Miami, Florida at the end of 2018.

Indy 500 and Monaco Grand Prix winner Juan Pablo Montoya is ROC’s reigning Champion of Champions after the Colombian claimed his first title in Miami this year, while four-time FIA Formula 1 World Champion Sebastian Vettel helped Team Germany win its seventh ROC Nations Cup.

https://www.motorsport.com/general/...makes-historic-switch-to-saudi-arabia-966768/

Fantastic news!

 

[Mugwop]

This video is from Dubai but it's pretty impressive

 

[Hack-Hook]

Well car race always wasintresting foe me but let be honest the real champion is the ones who are in endurance competition for example this one

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

These guys drive more than 5000km in exactly 24 hours . for comparison indi500 race take about 1.5 hours of competition and is only 500mile

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Well car race always wasintresting foe me but let be honest the real champion is the ones who are in endurance competition for example this one

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/24_Hours_of_Le_Mans

These guys drive more than 5000km in exactly 24 hours . for comparison indi500 race take about 1.5 hours of competition and is only 500mile

That is a personal opinion. Personally (I am sure that many people agree with me) I found Le Mans quite boring and monotonous. 24 hours of non-stop racing is no joke. Although I do admire their endurance of course. Anyway you have to remember that drivers change throughout those 24 hours. It is not the same driver driving 24 hours in a row. They change throughout the race. I once attended Le Mans in person when I lived in France.

Anyway Race of Champions is a great race and it is a very good news that they will come to KSA - a country where motor sports are very popular and where there are facilities and infrastructure to host such international races.

Personally I hope to see the Formula 1 one day in KSA seeing that it has been present in neighboring UAE and Bahrain for quite some time.

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Car Engines Rev as Hail International Rally Kicks Off in Saudi Arabia

RIYADH, January 15 (CIC) – The first phase of the Hail Nissan International Rally was flagged off at Mashar valley in the north-western Saudi city of Hail on Monday, with a total of 46 teams competing in the four-day race.

The first phase covers 3.78 kilometres of the total 1,300 kilometre race, organised by the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation (SAMF) and overseen by International Automobile Federation.

The rally, first held in 2006, is one of the most important events on the calendar of international sport events held in Saudi Arabia, which attracts thousands of local and international spectators. However, the event entered the international motor-sporting calendar for the first time in 2007, after running as a club event the previous year.

The contestants include 81 Saudi drivers and navigators, five Emirati co-drivers, a Russian, an Omani and an Egyptian navigator, and three Kuwaiti drivers and co-drivers.

Nissans dominate the entry list with 25 contestants driving the Japanese vehicles.

The top seeds, Faris Khalaf Al-Mashna – last year’s winner – and Saud Nasser Al-Tamimi, both of Saudi Arabia, will drive Nissan Patrols. Al-Mashna will join Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah and Yazeed Al-Rajhi as a multiple winner of the event in the car category.

Many cultural and social events are being held as part of the event. This year’s accompanying events started last week and will continue for nine days.

https://cic.org.sa/2018/01/car-engines-rev-as-hail-international-rally-kicks-off-in-saudi-arabia/