Vitaly Petrov will participate in the Race of Champions
The Russian driver of Lotus-Renault GP will participate in the famous Race of Champions at the end of the season.
Vitaly Petrov will be the first Russian and the first driver from Eastern countries to participate in the Race of Champions, which will take place on December 3 and 4 in Düsseldorf.
He joins an exceptional lineup of drivers that includes, among others, recent double Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel, Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button, and Timo Glock.
The German drivers will be well represented on their home turf, but a French team will also be present. Indeed, reigning GP2 champion Romain Grosjean and Sébastien Ogier (WRC) will share the wheel to defend their colors.
The Race of Champions is an exceptional event that brings together the best drivers from each category. They compete in head-to-head duels in identical cars on a specially designed circuit.
Petrov is of course very proud to represent his country for the first time in this prestigious race: “I am delighted to be the first Russian to participate in the Race of Champions. I have been following this event for a long time and I know that the drivers are there for the fun, but they also push hard on the track. I have never participated in an event with such rapid machine changes, but perhaps my past in sprint rallies and ice racing can help me. I will give my best and we’ll see what happens.”
On his side, Romain Grosjean is quite confident in his chances of victory, coming off a season full of success: « French drivers have good results in the Race of Champions, and I hope that our combined circuit and rally experience will allow us to deliver a good performance.»
The organizer of the race, Fredrik Johnsson, is also delighted with the lineup: “We are always looking to broaden our horizons. That’s why we are very happy to welcome our first Russian driver on board. Vitaly has had a great career in GP2 and has settled well in F1 over the past two years. We look forward to seeing him in action at the Race of Champions in December.”
See you on December 3 and 4, 2011, to find out who will succeed the Schumacher/Vettel pair, victorious last year.
