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Saturday, 15 December 2012 13:22 |
 Formula One World Champions Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel are preparing for the ROC Nations Cup as they bid to extend Team Germany’s run of glory to a record sixth consecutive triumph.
The German duo, who have become an all conquering force in the competition, met the media at Bangkok’s Rajamangala Stadium along with fellow Formula 1 stars David Coulthard and Romain Grosjean.
They are part of the dazzling line-up of motor sport greats, also including MotoGP World Champions Jorge Lorenzo and Mick Doohan, who will compete in tonight’s ROC Nations Cup and Sunday’s individual Race Of Champions.
Michael Schumacher (Team Germany)
“We are always excited to come to the Race Of Champions as it’s always a highlight for us at the end of the year. We’re happy to be over here in Bangkok this time and we’re very much looking forward to showing what we can do down on the track later on. Clearly what Sebastian and I are here to do is to take our sixth ROC Nations Cup win. There is tough competition around us tonight so it will be a big challenge.”
Sebastian Vettel (Team Germany)
“What’s special about the Race Of Champions is that it’s a good challenge with the different cars and it’s a great opportunity to meet drivers from different categories. I’ve been coming back with Michael for a few years now and all the drivers enjoy this event. It’s very relaxed, you can compete against each other and then grab a drink after the race and have some fun. There are a tough set of competitors around and it’s always hard to predict what will happen. Today we will work as a team to try and win the ROC Nations Cup for Team Germany again, then we’ll see how tough tonight is before we see what we can do tomorrow.”
David Coulthard (Team Great Britain)
“I’ve been to the Race Of Champions a few times now, it’s always a nice event with a different atmosphere to normal competition. I’m clearly not getting any younger because I’m sweating in all this heat, so I’m not sure if I’ll have enough energy to help my Team Great Britain partner Andy Priaulx later! This year’s track remains fundamentally the same as previous years but it’s much faster than usual so I think it will be a big challenge. Team Germany are a very strong team. They have 10 World Championships between them so it will always be difficult but at this event one corner can make or break everything if you make a small mistake.”
Andy Priaulx (Team Great Britain)
“It’s an absolute honour for us all to have the chance to drive with these legends. It’s great fun as well, it’s nice to drive the cars and we all enjoy it. But don’t believe any of these drivers. They’re not here for fun, they’re here to win, and you don’t want to race any of these guys as they’re all good. One thing I learned many times is that you can do well, get to the final then get beaten by the Germans! It’s also very easy to find yourself going home early. So if I could offer any advice to the newcomers I’d recommend plenty of partying the night before, lots of alcohol and all the wrong food. Don’t take any interest in the event, best to just rock up and drive.”
Romain Grosjean (Team France)
“We all enjoy coming here. This is only my second time but it’s a similar track to last year, just a bit wider. There is no real rest out there on a track like this. Even the straight is very short so it’s a hard circuit but it’s good fun when you really manage to floor the car through the corners and go for it. That’s why we all come back!”
Sebastien Ogier (Team France)
“Last year it was amazing for me to win the Race Of Champions on my first visit, and of course I’m very happy to be here again. This year there are again plenty of great drivers here so I’m sure it will be good fun to compete in this race once more. All of us have proved we are very fast in all the different categories. It’s nice to meet all these drivers, and bikers too. There are MotoGP World Champions here and I’m sure they can also do good things with a steering wheel too.”
Jorge Lorenzo (Team All Stars)
“This is my first time here at the Race Of Champions so thank you for the invitation to compete with these extraordinary champions, most of them on four wheels. Mick and I are the only two wheel experts so it will be an interesting test to see how we do. I compete on four wheels sometimes, like the recent rally of Monza, so this is a great chance to ask them questions to improve my driving skills. I’m really looking forward to racing but I also hope to keep learning, improving and to enjoy the atmosphere.”
Tom Kristensen (Team All Stars)
“It’s fantastic to be here and really nice to come to the Rajamangala Stadium. It’s an honour for me to be racing with Jorge Lorenzo in the ROC Nations Cup. We’ve just had a brief chat and I can say for 100 percent that he is faster on four wheels than I am on two! He’s certainly not afraid of anything and I’m sure the skill he’s shown on two wheels this year will transfer to four wheels here. I have huge respect for him and Mick Doohan and I hope to learn a bit about the limit on two wheels too. Everyone here has done a lot in their own field but after the way Andy Priaulx drove a tuk tuk today in Bangkok I can say he’s already on it…”
Jamie Whincup (Team Australia)
“It means a lot to be here at the Race Of Champions. I had an invitation a few years ago but I wasn’t able to do it and I’ve been kicking myself ever since. Now I intend to make the most of it both on and off the track, but I’m a ROC virgin this year so my expectations are quite low. I’ve been very sheltered down in Australia doing my own thing so I haven’t driven four wheel drive or front wheel drive cars at any speed at all. But I’m looking forward to giving it a go. It’s great to meet all these guys, I hope to have a lot of fun and I’ll do the best I can.”
Mick Doohan (Team Australia)
“It’s good to be back at the Race Of Champions. It’s a great event and it’s great to be in Thailand. Asia’s where it’s all happening in motor sport at the moment and it’s not far from Australia for Jamie and me. This is also big motorcycling territory so Jorge and I will hopefully have a lot of support. I’m looking forward to getting out there and having some fun. I just wish I could have been doing some sort of racing to prepare, either on four wheels or two, but I haven’t done a great deal. It’s a real privilege to drive with Jamie. Hopefully I won’t let him down on Saturday and he can drag Team Australia through for us.”
Benito Guerra (Team Americas)
“This is my first Race Of Champions and it’s amazing to be here with all these great drivers, a dream come true. I follow all types of motor sport so all of them are my heroes. When I heard the news that I was coming it was 2am in Mexico and I woke up my Dad to tell him the news. The race itself is a bit like a super special stage for us rally drivers. I’ve been in Bangkok since Tuesday so I’ve been getting to know the city, which is much bigger than I imagined. It’s very nice and my first impression of Thailand and the people is that everyone is very nice. So thanks to all the people working here who have given us a very good welcome to this amazing city.”
Ryan Hunter-Reay (Team Americas)
“It’s great to be here in Bangkok. It’s my first time here in Thailand and it’s my first Race Of Champions. It’s a tremendous honour to share the stage with these guys and this amount of talent. So I just want to take it all in and hopefully surprise a few people. But I haven’t driven four wheel drive cars before so this is all pretty different from IndyCar. I have an open minded approach so I’ll see what comes and go with it. Mostly this is a learning experience and I will definitely be following Andy’s advice! I’m looking forward to that actually, I’ll have a lot of fun.”
Drivers pair up for Saturday’s ROC Nations Cup at the Rajamangala Stadium before the individual Race Of Champions takes place on Sunday.
ROC Nations Cup Draw (Saturday December 15)
Group A
Team France (Sébastien OGIER & Romain GROSJEAN)
Team Great Britain (David COULTHARD & Andy PRIAULX)
Team Americas (Ryan HUNTER-REAY & Benito GUERRA)
Team All Stars (Tom KRISTENSEN & Jorge LORENZO)
Group B
Team Germany (Michael SCHUMACHER & Sebastian VETTEL)
Team Thailand (Nattavude CHAROENSUKAWATTANA & Tin SRITRAI)
Team Australia (Mick DOOHAN & Jamie WHINCUP)
Team India (Narain KARTHIKEYAN & Karun CHANDHOK)
Race Of Champions Draw (Sunday December 16)
Group A
Sebastien OGIER, WRC star and reigning ROC ‘Champion of Champions’
Jamie WHINCUP, V8 Supercar Champion 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008
David COULTHARD, 13 Formula 1 Grand Prix victories
Benito GUERRA, Production World Rally Champion 2012
Group B
Tom KRISTENSEN, eight-time Le Mans 24-Hour race winner
Andy PRIAULX, three time World Touring Car Champion
Ho-Pin TUNG, fastest qualifier from ROC Asia
Nattavude CHAROENSUKAWATTANA, winner of ROC Thailand
Group C
Sebastian VETTEL, Formula 1 World Champion 2012, 2011, 2010
Jorge LORENZO, MotoGP World Champion 2012, 2010
Mick DOOHAN, five time 500cc MotoGP World Champion
Tin SRITRAI, runner-up from ROC Thailand
Group D
Michael SCHUMACHER, seven-time Formula 1 World Champion
Ryan HUNTER-REAY, IndyCar Series Champion 2012
Kazuya OHSHIMA, second fastest qualifier from ROC Asia
Romain GROSJEAN, three Formula 1 podiums in 2012
F1SA.com
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