Race of Champions heading to New Zealand

The Race of Champions is heading to New Zealand for the first time next year, with the all-star head-to-head contest taking place at Wellington's Hnry Stadium on January 9-10.

Race of Champions pits drivers head-to-head on tight, mirrored tracks in a variety of identical cars to determine a ‘Champion of Champions’, while a ‘Nations Cup’ is also contested the day before with drivers of the same or neighboring nations teaming up in pairs.

After events in Montlhéry, France, the Nürburgring, and Barcelona and Madrid in the late 1980s and early '90s, Race of Champions was held in Gran Canaria between 1992-2003 before it moved to large sports stadiums from 2004. That was the first of three consecutive events to be held at Stade de France in Paris. 

A two year stay at the then-new Wembley Stadium in London followed, before events in Beijing, Düsseldorf (twice), and Bangkok. It returned to an outdoor setting in 2014 when it visited Bush Park in Barbados, and again in 2022 and '23 with visits to a snow and ice track in Pite Havsbad, Sweden, with London (this time, the Olympic stadium), Miami, Riyadh, Mexico City, hosting the in the intervening years.

The New Zealand Government is backing the event this time around through the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE), and it will mark the second time ROC has taken place in the Australian continent following 2025's edition in Sydney which was won by Sebastien Loeb for a record fifth time.

“We are very excited to bring the Race Of Champions to Wellington and New Zealand for the first time,” said Fredrik Johnsson, president and co-founder of Race Of Champions. “This is one of the most beautiful places on earth and there is so much passion for motorsport and so many talented drivers here. 

“It will be fascinating to see the Kiwi stars compete against some of the international superstars from F1, World Rally and more in front of their home fans.”

Four drivers have already been confirmed for the event with four-time Formula 1 world champion Vettel, 10-time F1 race winner Valtteri Bottas, 2025 Supercars champion Chaz Mostert, and double European Rally champion and World Rally winner – and New Zealand native – Hayden Paddon all already signed up.

For 2015 Race of Champions (London) winner Vettel, it’ll be his 14th appearance in the competition.

“Before ROC Sydney I went for a first quick visit to New Zealand and was blown away by the beauty of the country, so I told the organizers jokingly 'can you please bring the next ROC to New Zealand,'” said Vettel, who also won six Nations Cup titles alongside Michael Schumacher between 2007-2012 and added seventh in 2017 with Pascal Wehrlein. 

“I am really looking forward to competing against so many other champions from across the globe at the Race Of Champions in Wellington in January, and get a chance to visit more of New Zealand.”

Bottas will be appearing for a third time after featuring in Piteå, Sweden in 2023, then in Sydney in 2025.

“Race Of Champions is such a special  and exciting event and I’m so happy that it’s back again,” said the current Cadillac F1 driver. “I can’t wait to compete in Wellington, New Zealand, with all the other drivers from different categories, racing on the same track, in different types of cars, which makes ROC really spectator friendly. 

“ROC New Zealand is going to be another exciting race with a great atmosphere both for us drivers and the fans. Also personally I feel it’s really good to drive something during the off-season and there is no better place to do it than at ROC, so I’m really looking forward to January.”

Mostert made his Race of Champions bow at the most recent event in neighboring Australia, where he finished runner-up to Loeb after the Frenchman took two wins in succession in the best-of-three final. En route to that final he topped his group ahead of Kurt Busch and Bottas, before beating Vettel 2-0 in the Quarter Finals then fellow Supercars racer Will Brown by the same margin in the Semifinals.

"I’m honoured to be invited back to ROC in 2027,” he said. “It was so cool to be a last minute edition for 2025. I got to rub shoulders with some of the best race car drivers from around the world and the event was so much fun. 

“Huge thank you to Fredrik and the ROC organization for having me back and looking forward to it being in Wellington NZ as it’s a beautiful part of the world. Bring it on.”

Paddon also debuted at the 2025 competition, where he placed second in his group between Dakar ace Toby Price and 2003 WRC and 2014-15 World Rallycross champion Petter Solberg.

“It’s amazing to see one of the world’s most spectacular motorsport events come to New Zealand for the first time ever,” he said. “New Zealand is really in a golden age of motorsport at the moment across so many disciplines, and I can’t think of a more fitting celebration of this than Hosting the Race Of Champions that attracts so many of the biggest stars from all around the world.

“This is really a once and a lifetime opportunity for Kiwi motorsport fans to get up close and personal with drivers from F1, WRC, circuit and other Motorsport forms, all battling it out in equal machinery inside one of NZ’s most famous sports stadiums. It’s really a historic event for so many reasons and I’m personally incredibly proud to be a part of it.”