18/10/2011
Lotus Renault GP third driver and 2011 GP2 series champion Romain Grosjean will line up for Team France with World Rally Championship contender Sébastien Ogier at the 2011 Race Of Champions, which will take place at Düsseldorf’s ESPRIT arena on December 3-4.
Both Grosjean and Ogier have shaken up their respective series this year, showing that France has a big future in both racing and rallying.
Romain Grosjean dominated the GP2 series in 2011 with five wins and five other podiums, leaving him in line for a return to Formula 1 in 2012. Sébastien Ogier meanwhile has taken a total of five WRC victories, more than any other driver, including Rallye Deutschland. It is a haul which leaves him firmly in the title mix with just two rallies left.
That form has earned the French duo their first invitations to the Race Of Champions, where they will also pool their ability on behalf of their country in the ROC Nations Cup.
Romain Grosjean said: “2011 has been a very special season for me thanks to my GP2 series title – and there is no better way to cap it off than to make my Race Of Champions debut. I’ve seen the event a few times and it’s great to have the chance to race against the best in the world from so many different spheres of motor sport. I’m especially looking forward to joining up with Sébastien for Team France. French drivers have a good ROC record and hopefully our blend of racing and rally experience means that we can keep that up in December.”
Sébastien Ogier added: “It’s a real honour to participate in the Race Of Champions. I’ve followed it since it was in Gran Canaria, and I can’t wait to discover all the cars we will be driving against this year. It will be nice to team up with Romain too - he is a very good driver and he has had an almost perfect season in GP2. I’m very happy with my year too but now my goal is to try and gain a championship one day. It’s still possible this year so I’ll do my best at the two last rallies. If I have the chance to win, I’ll try to take it. Needless to say, a WRC/ROC double would be the perfect end to my year…”
ROC race organiser Fredrik Johnsson said: “This is a very different line-up for Team France compared to last year when we had their two greatest multiple champions in Alain Prost and Sébastien Loeb. They both have clashing commitments this year but this new pair shows the strength in depth of French motor sport right now. Sébastien and Romain have set the world’s rally stages and racetracks alight in 2011 and we’re sure they’ll do the same inside the ROC stadium in December.”
The Race Of Champions is an annual end-of-season competition that brings together the world’s greatest drivers from all motor sport’s disciplines – including Formula 1, world rally, touring cars, Le Mans and the X-Games – and sets them free to battle head-to-head in identical machinery on a specially constructed parallel track. Drivers pair up for the ROC Nations Cup, this year scheduled for Saturday 3 December, before the individual Race Of Champions takes place on Sunday 4 December.
For more information about the event please visit the website www.raceofchampions.com
Credit: Lotus Renault GP (www.lotusrenaultgp.com)
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