ROC: The composition of the participants is fully formed

Matthias Ekström, who recently stormed the sand dunes of the Saudi Arabian desert in an electric Audi all-terrain vehicle at the Dakar Rally, is now preparing for a completely different challenge. He will join the Race of Champions team to compete with Johan Kristoffersson for their native Sweden at the Piet-Havsbad ice rink.

Ekström has won the ROC three times in previous years (in 2006, 2009 and 2009), but overall he is a very versatile driver, winning in everything from the DTM to the World Rallycross Championship. In addition, Matthias will drive several demonstration drives in the legendary Audi S1 ​​Quattro rally car, while Stefan Petransel, his Audi factory teammate, will demonstrate the capabilities of the RS Q e-tron electric off-road vehicle they drove. the Dakar.

Mattias Ekström: “The Race of Champions has meant a lot to me in recent years, especially because I managed to win it in Paris, London and Beijing. It’s also great that at that time I had the opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities of my Audi A4 DTM in demonstration races. And now I’m looking forward to driving a classic Audi S1 ​​in Sweden.

Also, Stephane Petransel will be driving around the track in our Audi RS Q e-tron Dakar, which is just amazing. We usually drive in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and Morocco, so you rarely see this car in Europe. It’s great that the fans can get closer to her and see what she’s capable of.

And I’m also looking forward to playing on the track in Piet-Havsbad, meeting a real Swedish winter and a lot of fans. It’s also great to join forces with Johan Kristoffersson and try to get another big win!”

Thus, the composition of the ROC-2023 participants has finally been determined, and the organizers have already calculated that 25 world champions will take part in the race this year, who have achieved success in different categories in different years.