2009 Race of Champions heads to Beijing
 

<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/motorsports/" rel="tag">Motorsports</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/china/" rel="tag">China</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/celebrities/" rel="tag">Celebrities</a></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/gallery/2008-race-of-champions/#16"><em><strong><img vspace="4" hspace="4" border="1" alt="" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2009/10/roc08.jpg" /></strong></em></a><em><strong><br /> <small>2008 Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium - Click above for high-res image gallery</small></strong></em></div>
<br /> Most of this year's major motorsport series are winding to a close. Champions are being crowned. Teams are preparing for next year. You know what that means: it's time for the Race of Champions.<br /> <br /> The international event has been held for the past twenty years, and it always offers a real spectacle as some of the world's best drivers compete for top honors. And this year figures to be no different. Held <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/04/17/red-flag-race-of-champions-moves-to-china/">for the first time outside of Europe at the Bird's Nest Olympic stadium in Beijing</a>, the 2009 Race of Champions is set to take place next week, packed with an all-star roster. <br /> <br /> Among those taking part this year will be newly-crowned Formula One World Champion Jenson Button, seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher, recently retired F1 stalwart David Coulthard and rising star Sebastian Vettel. Although six-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb - who won the RoC last year and twice before that - has apparently opted to sit this one out, perennial runner-up Mikko Hirvonen will be competing, along with Audi's multiple Le Mans winners Tom Kristensen and Emanuele Pirro; touring car champions Andy Priaulx, Mattias Ekstrom, Jamie Whincup and Yvan Muller; Dakar winner Giniel deVilliers, Monegasque single-seat racer Clivio Piccione and Australian bike racer Mick Doohan. And finally, these United States will be represented by two of our very finest showmen, Travis Pastrana and Tanner Foust. <br /> <br /> This year, the champions will be competing for bragging rights behind the wheels of such varied machinery as the Ford Focus WRC, Volkswagen Scirocco, KTM X-Bow, Solution F Prototype Opel touring car and three different specially-equipped sprint cars. Tune in on Tuesday, November 3 - just two days after the 2009 Formula One World Championship wraps up in Abu Dhabi - for the results.<br /> <br /> <br /> <div class="postgallery"><p><s trong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2008-race-of-champions/low/">2008 Race of Champions</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2008-race-of-champions/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/12/00_roc08_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2008-race-of-champions/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/12/01_roc08_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2008-race-of-champions/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/12/02_roc08_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2008-race-of-champions/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/12/03_roc08_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2008-race-of-champions/low/"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2008/12/04_roc08_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br /> [Source: Race of Champions | Image: Mark Thompson/Getty]<p style="padding:5px;backgr ound:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/29/2009-race-of-champions-heads-to-beijing/">2009 Race of Champions heads to Beijing</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblo g</a> on Thu, 29 Oct 2009 09:30:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/29/2009-race-of-champions-heads-to-beijing/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19211357/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a>&nbsp;|&nbsp;<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2009/10/29/2009-race-of-champions-heads-to-beijing/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>

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