Three Andretti Drivers Named To Race Of Champions Team USA

Posted by: newsla on Nov 22, 2016 - 06:20 AM Three Andretti Drivers Named To Race Of Champions Team USA



Three Andretti Autosport drivers will battle head-to-head with the some of the fastest motor sports drivers from around the world when Race Of Champions (ROC) comes to American soil for the first time in its 27 years of running. Andrettis American racers Ryan Hunter-Reay, Alexander Rossi and Scott Speed will compete at ROC Miami Jan. 21 and 22 to prove their home country is the fastest in motor sports.



Indianapolis 500 winner and Verizon IndyCar Series Champion Hunter-Reay is no stranger to the Race Of Champions crowd. The 35-year-old has participated in the event for the past three years. The South Florida resident was the first of the three drivers from Andretti Autosport to be confirmed for this years event.



Im delighted to be making my fourth straight appearance at the Race Of Champions  and especially this time with the event taking place on American soil, better yet my own backyard! Hunter-Reay said, It is a spectacular event and a unique challenge to jump in and out of all the different cars as you go head-to-head with some of the best drivers in the world, it is a tremendous honor to be selected as a competitor for ROC. Im proud to represent America, IndyCar and the Indy 500 and I look forward to hearing the noise of the crowds in Miami and feeling that hometown support.



Rossi, the 2016 Indianapolis 500 winner and Verizon IndyCar Series Rookie of the year will join the line-up of Champions to fight for the United States first win since 2002 when Jeff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Colin Edwards won the ROC Nations Cup.



Im honored to be invited to race in this years Race Of Champions, said Rossi. ROC is so well respected in motor sport, bringing together the best drivers from around the world and across every series. This international event is always ultracompetitive and Im looking forward to the competition and the very first US race venue in Miami. It will also be great to race with my Andretti Autosport teammates, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Scott Speed. I can assure you, the three of us will not be holding back.



Two-time Red Bull Global Rallycross Champion and three-time X Games Gold Medalist, Speed will also make his debut in the Race of Champions. Having competed in Formula 1, IndyCar, NASCAR, Formula E, A1GP and Global Rallycross, the 33 year-old will be one of the most diverse drivers on the track trying to earn his home country a victory.



Speed said: I am beyond excited to join Race Of Champions Miami. Being selected to represent the USA on home soil is such an honor. I have always been a huge fan of this event; having so many greats of motor racing in one place is a very rare thing. I am sure that Miami will prove to be a fantastic host of such a prestigious event.



The Race Of Champions brings together the fastest drivers of various disciplines in auto racing to compete for the title of Worlds Greatest Driver. The annual event began in 1988 and has been held in 12 different cities across the globe. The Race of Champions begins with plenty of action from every driver in a group stage. Each competitor races each of the drivers in their group, swapping the style of car every round to ensure they prove themselves a diverse winner. The most successful drivers of each group move on to the quarter finals. Once the drivers move to the quarter-finals stage, there are no second chances. The worlds best drivers compete knockout-style, head-to-head on the same track in the same car, proving any mistake can be terminal. The final round consists of a best-of-three shootout where the fastest driver is crowned the Champion of Champions.



The ROC Nations Cup has been a featured event since 1999 and targets to find the fastest country on the planet. Drivers are paired up amongst their respective countries and each driver has an initial run against a driver from an opposing country, racing head-to-head. If the score is tired at the end of both drivers runs, the two winning drivers then take on each other to see which country comes out on top.



Hunter-Reay, Rossi and Speed join fellow Americans Travis Pastrana and Kurt Busch to make up Team USA. The home team will take on competitors such as IndyCars Tony Kanaan and Juan Pablo Montoya, Formula 1 race winners Sebasitan Vettel and Felipe Massa, FIA World Rallycross Champion Petter Solberg and nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Tom Kristensen.



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