The brand-new race-bred 500 Abarth Assetto Corse will be in dazzling track action in the hands of the world's top motor sports stars during the Race of Champions extravaganza at Wembley Stadium this weekend. The celebrated stadium guarantees a spectacular, panoramic view of the entire track from all seats. Construction of the approximately 1 km long parallel track calls for approximately 1,800 tonnes of asphalt, 2,200 tonnes of underlay and the erection of a 100-tonne cross-over bridge. This will be the second consecutive year of participation in the Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium by the Abarth brand, last year the rally-bred Grande Punto Abarth S2000 was one of the mounts driven by the champions during the contests.

The brand-new 500 Abarth Assetto Corse will be in race action in the hands of the world's top sporting stars during the Race of Champions extravaganza at Wembley Stadium this weekend, its appearance on the tight-and-twisty track coming ahead of the racers arrival in a dedicated 'Trofeo' series in Europe next year.

The 500 Abarth Assetto Corse will be joined in the arena action this year by the Ford Focus WRC 08, ROC Car, KTM X-Bow and the RS 150 buggy. This will be the second consecutive year of participation in the Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium by the Abarth brand, last year the rally-bred Grande Punto Abarth S2000 was one of the mounts driven by the champions during the contests.

After being narrowly beaten by DTM Champion Mattias Ekström in last year's Race Of Champions final, seven-times Formula 1 World Champion Michael Schumacher has thrown down the gauntlet to past and present motorsport stars by having signed up to return and fight for the chance to be crowned 'The Champion of Champions'. "The great thing about The Race of Champions is that whether you win or lose it's a lot of fun – all the drivers really enjoy themselves and, because they're so close to the action, the crowd love it too," said Schumacher who, although missing out on the overall title, helped Germany to win The ROC Nations Cup with compatriot F1 racer Sebastian Vettel. The two racers will both return to defend their title in 2008. Other drivers taking part will include Yvan Muller, Jenson Button, Sebastian Loeb, Lewis Hamilton and Troy Bayliss.

Created in 1988 by IMP (International Media Productions) President Fredrik Johnsson and the world’s best female rally driver, Michele Mouton, the ROC remains the only opportunity for drivers to race in exactly the same cars and on a parallel track. The premise is simple: using identical equipment and track, drivers can prove themselves based on their talent alone. In 2008, sixteen drivers will compete in a series of knockout heats in their own division to determine their class champion. Then, in a shoot-out to determine who is the master of motorsport, the winners from the two divisions will go head-to-head in a super final. The winner is rewarded with the title “The Champion of Champions”.

History

The first edition of the Race of Champions, held in Paris in 1988, celebrated the 10th anniversary of the World Championship for Rally Drivers gathering all the official World Rally Champions in a competition on identical cars. The event was held in memory of the late Henri Toivonen, who died at the Corsica rally while leading the world championship in 1986. The Henri Toivonen Memorial trophy is still awarded to the winner of the individual Race of Champions.

The Race of Champions was originally conceived as the ultimate shoot-out between the best international rally stars. But experts from other disciplines have given the rally boys more than just a run for their money over the years. They include MotoGP's Valentino Rossi, seven-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Tom Kristensen, four-time NASCAR Champ Jeff Gordon, seven-time F1 world champion Michael Schumacher, Renault F1’s Heikki Kovalainen and Audi’s Swedish DTM Champion Mattias Ekstrom.

Recent form

Now in its 21st year, the ROC boasts a list of past winners that reads like the “who’s who of racing”. DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom created a huge surprise when he beat homecrowd favourite Sébastien Loeb at Stade de France in 2006 and then again last year at Wembley when he defeated Michael Schumacher. Loeb, the 5-time World Rally Champion, had taken the title in 2005. The above join a distinguished group that includes world rally champions Juha Kankkunen, Stig Blomqvist, Didier Auriol, Tommi Mäkinen, Carlos Sainz, Colin McRae and Marcus Gronholm.

In 2004 Heikki Kovalainen, the Nissan World Series Champion that year, surprised everybody by winning against all the established stars. After beating seven-times Formula 1 Champion Michael Schumacher, the young Finn celebrated by jumping up and down on the red Ferrari! He then went on to beat Sebastien Loeb in the ROC Super-Final to take the “Champion of Champions” title. In 2003, Sebastien Loeb ended his season on a high note by winning a re-match of the 2002 ROC final, beating Finland's two-time World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm. Loeb defeated Gronholm two heats to nil, both victories achieved by little more than a car length.

The track

The celebrated stadium guarantees a spectacular, panoramic view of the entire track from all seats. Construction of the approximately 1 km long parallel track calls for approximately 1,800 tonnes of asphalt, 2,200 tonnes of underlay and the erection of a 100-tonne cross-over bridge. It takes a team of 50 people five days to build and three days to dismantle. The specially-designed track layout guarantees an impression of speed and power for drivers and spectators alike, plus plenty of side-by-side racing.