Venue: WEMBLEY STADIUM
Date: Sunday 16 December 2007
Event: RACE OF CHAMPIONS
Pictures & reporting by Dave Carter

WEMBLEY STADIUM – Sunday 16 December 2007
RACE OF CHAMPIONS
Pictures & reporting by Dave Carter

When it was announced that the Race of Champions was coming to Wembley it seemed like one of those 'no brainer' decisions to try and get along especially as the last time there was four-wheeled motorsport at the National Stadium was more than 33 years ago when, on 24 August 1974, the second of two stock car racing events was held. That event was run as a race meeting for both F1 and F2 Stock Cars and very good it was too! Click here to see and read more about that event and click here for some video
action from that event.

In many ways, however, it was the first of the two stock car events held is more comparable to the ROC format because as part of the meeting, held on June 29 1974 there was a challenge, using Ford Mexicos, pittng the top stock car and Hot Rod stars against "internationally famous drivers from the world of motor racing". The fact that the oval racers came out on-top received little press attention at the time!

So what about the ROC event itself? It was the 20th annual staging of the event and the first time when it had been held in the UK. The format of the event is very simple comprising a series of knock-out two-lap match races, using five different classes of car: ROC Cars (singe-seat specials), Ford Focus World Rally Cars, Aston Martin V8 Vantage N24s, Fiat Grand Punto Arbarths and Solution Fs. There are pictures of all the classes in the gallery.

The track incorporates a bridge so that that each car races on a different half of the track with only the start, midpoint and finish providing a side-by-side comparion of race position. Looking down on the track it does look very neat with an almost 'Scalextrix' feel to it! Given the tight track its perhaps surprising that there were very few spills, although all drivers faced a stiff penalty and
certain defeat if they touched a barrier more than once in any race.

The racing was split into two competitions. The first half the Nations Cup pits teams of two from eight countries in a knock-out. Finland won this but the most galling statistic is that the Germans beat England! The second half features the individual Race of Champions where single races whittle down the field to the Grand Final over the best of three runs.

The interval between the two halves was filled with a spectacular series of four and two-wheeled stunts and do-nuts which proved very popular as well as a moving tribute to former ROC Champion Colin McRae.

And what about Wembley? Its big, new and shiny and very impressive although the need to construct a racetrack directly on top of a football pitch - rather than having a removeable pitch seems rather restrictive on the frequency and indeed potential for other non-soccer uses of the stadium and it would be a lot more spectator friendly (ie warmer!) if it had a roof.

Reflecting on my first experience of the ROC at Wembley I couldn't help feeling that it would add enormously to the appeal of the event if more and a wider range of contemporary racers could be invited to the party? The crowd at Wembley, at over 50,000 was impressive, but there were a lot of empty seats and given the spectator appeal of some other forms of motorsport isn't there some untapped potential? For example, if Frankie Wainman Junior and Carl Boardley were involved wouldn't this have make the event even more attractive and put more bums on seats?

You can find out more about ROC by clicking here.