Race Of Champions (ROC) announced today plans to bring their prestigious annual auto racing event to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

In partnership with the General Sports Authority of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the event will be held in early 2018 as a celebration of the 2017 motorsports season and a final winner-takes-all showdown for competitors from across the world of racing.

The two-day event will be held at King Fahd International Stadium in the nation’s capital, Riyadh. ROC will once again unite superstar drivers from across the world of motorsport for a final, winner-takes-all showdown in celebration of the 2017 season. The likes of Formula 1, Le Mans, IndyCar and Rallycross will all be represented in ROC’s unique head-to-head competition to determine the next Champion of Champions.

Further details, driver announcements and exact dates for ROC’s Saudi Arabian debut will be announced shortly, but the General Sports Authority has confirmed that Race Of Champions will be a family event, open to both genders and feature drivers, exhibitions and activities all suitable for the Kingdom’s specific cultural requirements.

Fredrik Johnsson, Race Of Champions President: “Our organisation is honoured to be working with the President of the General Sports Authority, his Excellency Turki Al-Sheikh, and Sela Sport Chairman, Dr Rakan Hussein, to bring Race Of Champions to the region for the first time in the event’s 30-year history. As motorsport’s most forward-thinking property ROC is an event perfectly suited to Saudi Arabia, which is emerging as a modern sports market on the global stage.

“With women able to drive in Saudi Arabia from 2018, we feel this is an auspicious moment to be bringing a motorsport event to Riyadh. Race Of Champions is more than just a race: it is a truly global contest that includes many of the world’s best drivers along with top-quality entertainment for families.”

The 75,000-capacity King Fahd International Stadium will join a list of prestigious venues to have hosted ROC that include Beijing’s Bird’s Nest and London’s Olympic stadiums, the iconic Stade de France in Paris and Wembley Stadium in London, plus Miami’s Marlins Park - the event’s first North American destination.

ROC is also in the process of finalising its 2018 season finale, which is expected to return to Miami, Florida.