The Race of Champions (ROC) will greet New Zealand motorsport fans for the first time. The iconic Hnry Stadium in Wellington is scheduled to host on January 9-10, bringing the international competition across the Tasman less than two years after its first visit to the Southern Hemisphere in Sydney.
The arrival of ROC in Wellington is more than just a race. It is a celebration of motorsport diversity, where drivers from various disciplines—Formula 1, Supercars, rally, and NASCAR—go head-to-head using identical machinery. Four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel and 10-time grand prix winner Valtteri Bottas have been confirmed to return, alongside reigning Supercars champion Chaz Mostert and New Zealand rally star Hayden Paddon. Further names will be announced soon.
Hnry Stadium will be converted into a temporary asphalt circuit, allowing drivers from different motorsport backgrounds to compete against each other in a thrilling head-to-head format. The ROC Nations Cup will open proceedings on Saturday, January 9, before the individual Race of Champions takes place the following evening.
ROC president and co-founder Fredrik Johnsson expressed his excitement. "We are very excited to bring the Race Of Champions to Wellington and New Zealand for the first time," he said. "This is one of the most beautiful places on earth and there is so much passion for motorsport and so many talented drivers here."
Vettel, who competed in Sydney in 2025, returns after previously winning the individual ROC title in 2015 and claiming seven Nations Cup victories. The German revealed he had floated the idea of taking the event to New Zealand following a visit before the Sydney 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 organisers jokingly, can you please bring the next ROC to New Zealand," Vettel recalled. "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 getting a chance to visit more of New Zealand."
Mostert also returns after emerging as one of the stars of the Sydney event. The Supercars driver reached the 2025 individual final after defeating Vettel in the quarter-finals and fellow Supercars champion Will Brown in the semi-finals. Nine-time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb ultimately denied Mostert the title, winning both legs of the final to become the first driver to claim five individual Race of Champions victories. Loeb had already tasted success a day earlier, combining with Formula 2 driver Victor Martins to win the Nations Cup for France.
Sydney’s field underlined the variety that has long been central to the Race of Champions concept, with Vettel and Bottas joined by former F1 drivers David Coulthard and Mick Schumacher as well as NASCAR champion Kurt Busch and rally stars including Loeb, Petter Solberg and Oliver Solberg. Supercars was also strongly represented through Mostert, Brown and Brodie Kostecki, while seven-time champion Jamie Whincup, who had previously represented Australia at ROC events, was scheduled to appear but later withdrew.
With its New Zealand debut, ROC continues to expand its reach in the Southern Hemisphere. Fans in Wellington and across the country are expected to welcome the event with enthusiasm, watching world champions from various racing disciplines battle it out on a challenging temporary circuit.
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