S
smack500
Guest
coming up in a couple of days, I know this doesn't have much to do with nascar I just broung it up here because jimmie johnson and jeff gordon will be in the event.
www.raceofchampions.com
www.raceofchampions.com
T
Tiny
Guest
The real ROC is/was a modified race that was run at the old Lanfhorn Speedway (I think). It was then moved to the old 3/4 mile track at Pocono. I'm not sure if or where it's still run.
T
TN-Ward-Fan
Guest
Sooooo, the Winston Cup Champion isn't in it. Nor the Busch champion. Nor the truck champion. Just how is this a race of champions? Could it be because two Chev....nawwwwwww, yer being a conspiracy theorist again TWF. Just go on about your business with the happy knowledge that, until 120 seconds ago, you didn't even know such an event existed.
B
boB
Guest
Tiny,
You're right about the original Race Of Champions being THE modified race of the year. They ran at Langhorne, Pa. until that track was plowed under for a shopping mall, then the race was run at the 1.5 mile track at Trenton, NJ. for several years. When Trenton was torn up, the ROC did indeed move to Pocono. I know they used the old 3/4 mile oval for several years, but for some reason I want to say they also used the big track as well.
From Pocono, I believe they moved the race to Oswego, NY and I saw something about the rights to the event being sold fairly recently, but haven't been able to locate the article.
Of course the modified division is now but a mere shadow of what it was during its heyday in the 60's and early 70's.
I know that the ROC outdrew both the USAC big cars and the NASCAR Grand National (Winston Cup now) division when it was run at Trenton.
It was that big a race.
You're right about the original Race Of Champions being THE modified race of the year. They ran at Langhorne, Pa. until that track was plowed under for a shopping mall, then the race was run at the 1.5 mile track at Trenton, NJ. for several years. When Trenton was torn up, the ROC did indeed move to Pocono. I know they used the old 3/4 mile oval for several years, but for some reason I want to say they also used the big track as well.
From Pocono, I believe they moved the race to Oswego, NY and I saw something about the rights to the event being sold fairly recently, but haven't been able to locate the article.
Of course the modified division is now but a mere shadow of what it was during its heyday in the 60's and early 70's.
I know that the ROC outdrew both the USAC big cars and the NASCAR Grand National (Winston Cup now) division when it was run at Trenton.
It was that big a race.
B
boB
Guest
Tiny and TWF,
Did you guys read any of the material posted on that website?
That sounds like one fantastic week-end of racing; pitting the best drivers from all over the world and all types of racing against each other.
TWF, as this was event was set up earlier this year, the reigning WC champion was invited to compete, along with Jimmie Johnson, who was at that time, about the hottest rookie of the season. Not to mention that he has the off-road and dirt racing experience.
Too bad this series isn't broadcast live on network television.
Looking at the list of drivers who will be attending, it is truly a Race Of Champions.
Did you guys read any of the material posted on that website?
That sounds like one fantastic week-end of racing; pitting the best drivers from all over the world and all types of racing against each other.
TWF, as this was event was set up earlier this year, the reigning WC champion was invited to compete, along with Jimmie Johnson, who was at that time, about the hottest rookie of the season. Not to mention that he has the off-road and dirt racing experience.
Too bad this series isn't broadcast live on network television.
Looking at the list of drivers who will be attending, it is truly a Race Of Champions.
fergy1370
Team Owner
That can't be true...just HAS to be a conspiracy against Ford.
B
bump drafting
Guest
Why wasn't I invited, I'm a champion at pie eating. This is discriminating. Pie eating is a race!!! I even had to adjust my wedge. The pie was tight in and loose off. I won't mention the skidmarks situation.
G
ghettozoe03
Guest
Gordon Takes Wild Ride in Gran Canaria
Jeff Gordon, driver of the DuPont Chevrolet during the NASCAR Winston Cup season, experienced a wild ride on Friday in Gran Canaria during preparations for this weekend's Race of Champions -- and he wasn't even driving.
Gordon, in an effort to learn more about rally-style driving, agreed to ride shotgun as World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm negotiated the tricky layout. Four flips later, Gordon was loving the experience.
"I just wanted to learn from Marcus and I found out he was driving deeper into the corner," Gordon said. "He clipped one corner and the next thing I know we're flipping like we were in a sprint car.
"We come to a stop and he asks me if I'm all right. I just start yelling that that was one of the coolest things I've done recently." Both drivers are okay and will compete in this weekend's events.
Earlier Friday, Gordon competed in the Race of Champions-America against Jimmie Johnson, Kenny Brack and Cristiano da Matta. Brack defeated Gordon in the finals to win the preliminary event.
"I had a great first lap and thought I had a good lead," Gordon said. "I made some mistakes during the second lap which allowed Kenny to get ahead. I just overcooked it into the last corner and hit the guardrail."
During the qualifying round, Johnson entered his matchup with Gordon undefeated, having beaten Brack and da Matta in earlier rounds. But leave it to the "boss" to ruin the day. Gordon defeated Johnson by 0.16 seconds and gained entrance into the final by virtue of setting the quicker time during the qualifying round.
"That was a great race," Gordon said. "I knew I had a great lap going and I thought I had him beat at the line. We are great friends, but I still want to beat him across the finish line."
"I made a mistake and he just turned an awesome lap to get me at the line," Jimmie Johnson said. "It was a great race and a lot of fun. "This is a great experience. I'm having a lot of fun driving these cars and meeting new people."
Jeff Gordon, driver of the DuPont Chevrolet during the NASCAR Winston Cup season, experienced a wild ride on Friday in Gran Canaria during preparations for this weekend's Race of Champions -- and he wasn't even driving.
Gordon, in an effort to learn more about rally-style driving, agreed to ride shotgun as World Rally Champion Marcus Gronholm negotiated the tricky layout. Four flips later, Gordon was loving the experience.
"I just wanted to learn from Marcus and I found out he was driving deeper into the corner," Gordon said. "He clipped one corner and the next thing I know we're flipping like we were in a sprint car.
"We come to a stop and he asks me if I'm all right. I just start yelling that that was one of the coolest things I've done recently." Both drivers are okay and will compete in this weekend's events.
Earlier Friday, Gordon competed in the Race of Champions-America against Jimmie Johnson, Kenny Brack and Cristiano da Matta. Brack defeated Gordon in the finals to win the preliminary event.
"I had a great first lap and thought I had a good lead," Gordon said. "I made some mistakes during the second lap which allowed Kenny to get ahead. I just overcooked it into the last corner and hit the guardrail."
During the qualifying round, Johnson entered his matchup with Gordon undefeated, having beaten Brack and da Matta in earlier rounds. But leave it to the "boss" to ruin the day. Gordon defeated Johnson by 0.16 seconds and gained entrance into the final by virtue of setting the quicker time during the qualifying round.
"That was a great race," Gordon said. "I knew I had a great lap going and I thought I had him beat at the line. We are great friends, but I still want to beat him across the finish line."
"I made a mistake and he just turned an awesome lap to get me at the line," Jimmie Johnson said. "It was a great race and a lot of fun. "This is a great experience. I'm having a lot of fun driving these cars and meeting new people."
G
ghettozoe03
Guest
check this out jeffy is actually touching the little trophy gurl these days
S
smack500
Guest
Gordon, Johnson and Edwards clinch Nations' Cup for USA
Thousands of miles from home, USA clinched the fourth Michelin Race of Champions Nations' Cup in Gran Canaria today. Colin Edwards, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson triumphed in dramatic fashion over the Italian bike, racing and rally trio of Marco Melandri, Fabrizio Giovanardi and Renato Travaglia by three heats to two.
An ecstatic Jimmie Johnson said afterwards: "Admittedly, this is a big surprise but it feels great. We came here wanting to win, and to have some fun, and we had both. It's a truly awesome feeling."
Four time NASCAR Champion, Jeff Gordon paid tribute to the dominance of Colin Edwards in the Honda Blackbird powered ROC Cars - the 2002 Superbike World Champion won every race: "He was the key player for us. Having been here a couple of years ago, he had the experience that helped make a difference. He was just so smooth."
Edwards may have controlled both his heats, and Gordon may have scored a memorable victory over 2002 European Touring Car Champion, Giovanardi, but Johnson's six tenths of a second loss to Travaglia was the most exhilarating contest.
On their way to the Final, the USA eliminated previous winners France (2000) in the Semis and Spain (2001) in the Opening Group Stages.
The story of the day: Group Stages
After rolling his Peugeot 206 WRC in practice on Friday, Marcus Gronholm led Finland to victory in Group A over fellow Scandinavian's Sweden and the UK.
Italy emerged triumphant from Group B wining 5 Heats to 3 over second placed France, with F1 driver, Nick Heidfeld scoring the only success for Germany.
Group B was also the scene of the closest race in Nations' Cup history, where Frenchman Sebastian Loeb beat former double World Rally Champion, Walter Rohrl by just six ten thousandths of a second.
Group C witnessed some of the most entertaining clashes with USA's Gordon spectacularly crossing lanes in his unsuccessful pursuit of Brazil's, Cristiano da Matta.
Although Spain completed a white wash over Brazil to finish joint top with 4 Heat wins, the American triumvirate recorded the fastest collective time to book their place in the Semis.
Much to the disappointment of the home crowd, 2001 Nations Cup winners, Spain, failed to clinch the last Semi-Final berth, which is allotted to the fastest runner-up. Group B's France registered a time of 5mins 47.11secs - over three seconds quicker than Spain.
Semi Final
2002 250cc MotoGP World Champion, Melandri's mastery of the Michelin Race Of Champions unique ROC Cars helped see off Finland - winning three heats to one. Meanwhile, the second pairing of USA and France provided a much closer contest with the former emerging victorious in the decisive fifth heat.
Qualification for Michelin Race of Champions
Automatically qualified for the fifteenth running of the Michelin Race of Champions are 2002 World Rally Champion, Marcus Gronholm, Sebastian Loeb and 2001 winner, Harri Rovanpera.
Joining the hugely talented quartet will be the fastest two racers of the day, Fabrizio Giovanardi and Kenny Brack. 2002 European Rally Champion, Roberto Travaglia qualifies as the second fastest rally driver, alongside 2002 Spanish Rally Champion, Jesus Puras and biker, Melandri.
Jeff Gordon was due to take the wildcard spot, but due to a bout of food poisoning he was forced to withdraw. Taking his place instead will be fellow Nations´ Cup winner, Jimmie Johnson.
-ENDS -
December 01, 2002
Marcus Gronholm crowned Champion of Champions
World Rally Champion, Marcus Gronholm was duly crowned 2002 Champion of Champions after defeating France's Sebastien Loeb in a dramatic Final of the prestigious Michelin Race Of Champions at the Circuito Ciudad Deportiva Islas Canarias today.
The best of three Final went right to the wire where the Finn claimed the winner's laurels with a margin of just nine tenths of a second.
Side by side action throughout meant the double World Champion had to dig deep. In the opening round, he triumphed in the Seat Cordoba WRC by eight hundredths of a second. Loeb then sensationally squared the contest by winning the next heat in the car that has carried Gronholm to two World Championships - the Peugeot 206 WRC.
"It was a really hard battle, but very rewarding. Loeb did incredibly well, he adapted himself to the 206 amazingly fast," expressed a clearly delighted Gronholm afterwards. "My car felt really great. I only made one mistake in the Final, running wide into the final corner of heat two which Loeb won."
Defeated finalist, Loeb, commented: "I am ecstatic that I could get so close and push the World Champion so far. I honestly didn't think I would make it to the Final, so I am very happy to just be here. I felt really confident on the track, and maybe with a little more time in the 206, I could have pushed Marcus even closer!"
Up until the Final, Gronholm had an unblemished record, beating NASCAR ace and 2002 Nations' Cup winner, Jimmie Johnson and 2002 ROC Junior champion, Francois Duval in the Semi´s. Loeb's passage included a two-heat victory over 2001 Champion of Champions and fellow World Rally driver, Harri Rovanpera.
Earlier, 2002 ROC America winner, Kenny Brack had put in a series of stunning performances to dominate the Group B qualification round with victories over the Italian triumvirate of 2002 European Rally Champion, Renato Travaglia, 2002 European Touring Car Champion, Fabrizio Giovanardi and 2002 250cc MotoGP World Champion, Marco Melandri.
The Swedish CART star then pushed Rovanpera all the way in the Quarter Final only to lose the third and decisive heat after stalling the Seat Cordoba WRC car on the line.
As a result of this victory, Marcus Gronholm joins an illustrious rallying roll call, which includes such luminaries as Carlos Sainz, Tommi Makinen, Colin McRae, Didier Auriol, Stig Blomqvist and Juha Kankkunen, all of whom have claimed the prestigious title of Michelin Champion of Champions.
-ENDS -
Thousands of miles from home, USA clinched the fourth Michelin Race of Champions Nations' Cup in Gran Canaria today. Colin Edwards, Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson triumphed in dramatic fashion over the Italian bike, racing and rally trio of Marco Melandri, Fabrizio Giovanardi and Renato Travaglia by three heats to two.
An ecstatic Jimmie Johnson said afterwards: "Admittedly, this is a big surprise but it feels great. We came here wanting to win, and to have some fun, and we had both. It's a truly awesome feeling."
Four time NASCAR Champion, Jeff Gordon paid tribute to the dominance of Colin Edwards in the Honda Blackbird powered ROC Cars - the 2002 Superbike World Champion won every race: "He was the key player for us. Having been here a couple of years ago, he had the experience that helped make a difference. He was just so smooth."
Edwards may have controlled both his heats, and Gordon may have scored a memorable victory over 2002 European Touring Car Champion, Giovanardi, but Johnson's six tenths of a second loss to Travaglia was the most exhilarating contest.
On their way to the Final, the USA eliminated previous winners France (2000) in the Semis and Spain (2001) in the Opening Group Stages.
The story of the day: Group Stages
After rolling his Peugeot 206 WRC in practice on Friday, Marcus Gronholm led Finland to victory in Group A over fellow Scandinavian's Sweden and the UK.
Italy emerged triumphant from Group B wining 5 Heats to 3 over second placed France, with F1 driver, Nick Heidfeld scoring the only success for Germany.
Group B was also the scene of the closest race in Nations' Cup history, where Frenchman Sebastian Loeb beat former double World Rally Champion, Walter Rohrl by just six ten thousandths of a second.
Group C witnessed some of the most entertaining clashes with USA's Gordon spectacularly crossing lanes in his unsuccessful pursuit of Brazil's, Cristiano da Matta.
Although Spain completed a white wash over Brazil to finish joint top with 4 Heat wins, the American triumvirate recorded the fastest collective time to book their place in the Semis.
Much to the disappointment of the home crowd, 2001 Nations Cup winners, Spain, failed to clinch the last Semi-Final berth, which is allotted to the fastest runner-up. Group B's France registered a time of 5mins 47.11secs - over three seconds quicker than Spain.
Semi Final
2002 250cc MotoGP World Champion, Melandri's mastery of the Michelin Race Of Champions unique ROC Cars helped see off Finland - winning three heats to one. Meanwhile, the second pairing of USA and France provided a much closer contest with the former emerging victorious in the decisive fifth heat.
Qualification for Michelin Race of Champions
Automatically qualified for the fifteenth running of the Michelin Race of Champions are 2002 World Rally Champion, Marcus Gronholm, Sebastian Loeb and 2001 winner, Harri Rovanpera.
Joining the hugely talented quartet will be the fastest two racers of the day, Fabrizio Giovanardi and Kenny Brack. 2002 European Rally Champion, Roberto Travaglia qualifies as the second fastest rally driver, alongside 2002 Spanish Rally Champion, Jesus Puras and biker, Melandri.
Jeff Gordon was due to take the wildcard spot, but due to a bout of food poisoning he was forced to withdraw. Taking his place instead will be fellow Nations´ Cup winner, Jimmie Johnson.
-ENDS -
December 01, 2002
Marcus Gronholm crowned Champion of Champions
World Rally Champion, Marcus Gronholm was duly crowned 2002 Champion of Champions after defeating France's Sebastien Loeb in a dramatic Final of the prestigious Michelin Race Of Champions at the Circuito Ciudad Deportiva Islas Canarias today.
The best of three Final went right to the wire where the Finn claimed the winner's laurels with a margin of just nine tenths of a second.
Side by side action throughout meant the double World Champion had to dig deep. In the opening round, he triumphed in the Seat Cordoba WRC by eight hundredths of a second. Loeb then sensationally squared the contest by winning the next heat in the car that has carried Gronholm to two World Championships - the Peugeot 206 WRC.
"It was a really hard battle, but very rewarding. Loeb did incredibly well, he adapted himself to the 206 amazingly fast," expressed a clearly delighted Gronholm afterwards. "My car felt really great. I only made one mistake in the Final, running wide into the final corner of heat two which Loeb won."
Defeated finalist, Loeb, commented: "I am ecstatic that I could get so close and push the World Champion so far. I honestly didn't think I would make it to the Final, so I am very happy to just be here. I felt really confident on the track, and maybe with a little more time in the 206, I could have pushed Marcus even closer!"
Up until the Final, Gronholm had an unblemished record, beating NASCAR ace and 2002 Nations' Cup winner, Jimmie Johnson and 2002 ROC Junior champion, Francois Duval in the Semi´s. Loeb's passage included a two-heat victory over 2001 Champion of Champions and fellow World Rally driver, Harri Rovanpera.
Earlier, 2002 ROC America winner, Kenny Brack had put in a series of stunning performances to dominate the Group B qualification round with victories over the Italian triumvirate of 2002 European Rally Champion, Renato Travaglia, 2002 European Touring Car Champion, Fabrizio Giovanardi and 2002 250cc MotoGP World Champion, Marco Melandri.
The Swedish CART star then pushed Rovanpera all the way in the Quarter Final only to lose the third and decisive heat after stalling the Seat Cordoba WRC car on the line.
As a result of this victory, Marcus Gronholm joins an illustrious rallying roll call, which includes such luminaries as Carlos Sainz, Tommi Makinen, Colin McRae, Didier Auriol, Stig Blomqvist and Juha Kankkunen, all of whom have claimed the prestigious title of Michelin Champion of Champions.
-ENDS -