Race of Champions - 2011

[niky]

The problem is... what series would you get them from?

As per the name of the series, the competitors have to be the champion of something. Your best bet, really, would be a champion rally or ALMS driver with experience in a wide variety of disciplines against stiff competition. Pastrana should fit the bill, but the American rally scene is not big enough to bring in a talent pool that can produce an ROC championship level driver... the ALMS on the other hand, looks promising...

 

[Small_Fryz]

Jeff Gordon?
An Indy driver?

 

[astrosdude91]

Indy Car maybe? Though, the grid becomes more non American with each passing year. It seems like any motorsports talent the US can produce automatically defect to NASCAR. But that's an issue for another thread.

Though, even NASCAR drivers could make for some decent ROC competition. I seem to recall Carl Edwards having some success. He beat Schumacher in a race.

 

[niky]

I would go for Indy... though being a NASCAR champion gives you an advantage with the big V8s...

 

[RTSolvalou]

Did Petrov come last or something?, I read the thread and he apparently wasn't doing so good.

 

[SuperShouden]

I watched the Nation Cup...Germany cheated. Not the team, the country. They took the advantage away from Vettel's competitor and gave it to Vettel. Not that it would have necessarily mattered, but, still, cheating is cheating. I have not seen the Race of Champions yet. I will sometime this week, though...don't spoil it for me.

 

[Peter.]

Well the current trend isn't really producing results. Instead of putting out some X Games stars, maybe a team comprising of actual talent would do some good.

I don't know about Block, but I ocnsider Foust a talent. I think that the small, narrow routes they use for the ROC, is something that the X Games Rally drivers would be promising at.

 

[GOTMAXPOWER]

I think Robby Gordon would be the ideal man for Team USA, he drives all kinds of cars and is fairly succesful in most of them.

 

[SuperShouden]

Rhys Millin and Marcus Ambrose should be Team Australia. But...yeah, Robby Gordon and Foust would be a good team. I would love to see Ken Block on that track though...at least for an exhibition.

 

[fps_christian]

There are Americans who can... but they ain't driving here. Pastrana is a relatively experienced rally driver and has won a number of US based events, so he's a good bet in this kind of race... But Pastrana hasn't enjoyed great success in WRC... in fact, his WRC results kinda sucked.

The only clip of Pastrana I have seen, is the one where he rolls a Subaru.

 

[Hollidog]

Rhys Millin and Marcus Ambrose should be Team Australia. But...yeah, Robby Gordon and Foust would be a good team. I would love to see Ken Block on that track though...at least for an exhibition.

Except that Rhys Millen is a New Zealander.

 

[SuperShouden]

True...Team Down Under, then. It would still be a kick ass team.

 

[kenkwilinski]

They don't have any NASCAR drivers in the ROC anymore?

 

[crooky369]

Going on from people trying to pick the best American driver for next year why not all the teams? Using the teams used this year:

France: Loeb and Ogier
Germany 1: Schumacher and Vettel
Germany 2: Rosberg and Tomczyk
Great Britain: Button and Hamilton
Nordic: Tom Kristensen and Kimi Raikkonen
Slavic: Petrov and ?
United States: Tony Stewart and Jimmie Johnson
All Stars: Kubica and Alonso

Would be my choice.

 

[SuperShouden]

They don't have any NASCAR drivers in the ROC anymore?

Not this year, at least. Maybe because NASCAR hasn't earned the best reputation in the past few years with idiots like the Busch Brothers, Carl Edwards and Tony Stewart making a bad name for the series.

But Ambrose could still work since he's also still doing V8 Supercars.

And, there is going to be a NASCAR series in Europe next year.

 

[Northstar]

They don't have any NASCAR drivers in the ROC anymore?

This year the NASCAR Sprint Cup awards banquet fell on the same weekend as the ROC so that is why there weren't any this year.

 

[MatskiMonk]

I'd keep Priaulx in team GB. F1 drivers are good and all that, but I don't think the skill set they have should make them automatic choices for a ROC team.

 

[MagpieRacer]

I personally would go for Priaulx and Meeke or Priaulx and Paffet.

 

[Speedster502]

I'd keep Priaulx in team GB. F1 drivers are good and all that, but I don't think the skill set they have should make them automatic choices for a ROC team.

This.

Let's not forget the motorsport world isn't just made up of F1.

It'd be interesting to see some of the GB based endurance racers give it a go too (I know Priaulx comes under this banner too) but someone like McNish would be quite interesting - as long as there aren't any Ferrari's...

 

[SuperShouden]

They should have the Top Gear presenters as the All Stars...and I mean ALL the Top Gear Presenters. Just for fun.

 

[Stiggy]

But Ambrose could still work since he's also still doing V8 Supercars.

Ambrose hasn't raced in V8 Supercars since 2005.

 

[hawkeye122]

...McNish would be quite interesting - as long as there aren't any Ferrari's...

Ouch.

Then it's also a good thing Rocky wasn't chosen for Germany also... Although he is pretty good..

 

[crooky369]

Ouch.

Then it's also a good thing Rocky wasn't chosen for Germany also... Although he is pretty good..

He just missed out for me after I heard that Tomczyk had won the DTM championship in an older spec car.

He'd probably be a better choice than Rosberg but he's just not as big of a star.

 

[SuperShouden]

Ambrose hasn't raced in V8 Supercars since 2005.

It still counts.