Race Of Champions comes to New Zealand for the first time: Vettel and Bottas headline the spectacle in Wellington
For the first time in its history, Race Of Champions will be held in New Zealand, with Wellington hosting the two-day motorsport event on 9 and 10 January 2027, bringing together drivers from different racing disciplines on the same track. According to the organisers' official announcement, Hnry Stadium will be transformed into a temporary asphalt racing arena where drivers will compete in identical cars, shifting the emphasis away from technical differences between teams and towards adaptability and driving performance. Among the first confirmed names are four-time Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel, ten-time Formula 1 race winner Valtteri Bottas, Australian Supercars champion Chaz Mostert and New Zealand rally driver Hayden Paddon. On 22 September, the organiser also announced the arrival of former Supercars champions Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki, while additional names are expected ahead of the event. General ticket sales are scheduled to begin on 22 September at 11 a.m. local time in Wellington via Ticketek, following a 24-hour pre-sale for MotorSport New Zealand members.
First New Zealand edition brings ROC to the heart of Wellington
The arrival of Race Of Champions in Wellington marks a new geographical chapter for the competition, which was launched in 1988 and has changed continents, stadiums and track surfaces over the decades. The organiser states that throughout its history it has brought together champions from Formula 1, rallying, IndyCar, NASCAR, endurance racing and rallycross in order to place drivers in conditions that are as comparable as possible. For the 2027 edition, the track will be specially built inside Hnry Stadium, and the format will once again be based on head-to-head duels on a parallel configuration. This concept distinguishes ROC from traditional championships in which the result depends heavily on the car, the team and development over the course of a season. In Wellington, the same driver will have to demonstrate over the weekend how quickly they can adapt their driving style to different cars and short, elimination-style duels.
For New Zealand, this will be the first ROC edition, but not the competition's first visit to the Southern Hemisphere. Race Of Champions was held in Sydney in 2025, where Accor Stadium was converted into an asphalt track for a two-day programme. The organisers and WellingtonNZ cite that event as a technical precedent for the Wellington project: in Sydney, more than 200 people worked on the stadium conversion, with hundreds of truck arrivals and thousands of tonnes of base material and asphalt. These figures do not mean that the work at Hnry Stadium will be identical, but they illustrate the logistical complexity of a concept that introduces a racing track for several days into a venue designed for major sporting and entertainment events. The temporary transformation of stadiums is one of the recognisable elements of Race Of Champions.
Vettel returns as one of the most successful drivers in the competition's history
Sebastian Vettel arrives in Wellington with one of the strongest ROC résumés among the confirmed participants. The organiser presents him as the winner of the individual Race Of Champions in 2015 and a seven-time ROC Nations Cup winner, in addition to his four Formula 1 world championship titles. His connection with the New Zealand edition also has a personal chapter: in the official announcement, Vettel said that before ROC in Sydney he had briefly visited New Zealand for the first time and joked with the organisers that they should bring the next edition there. He is now confirmed as one of the leading names in the Wellington programme, where he will once again race against rivals from disciplines that rarely meet directly during their regular seasons. This crossover between different careers is an important part of the competition's identity.
Valtteri Bottas brings a different profile, but an equally recognisable name from Formula 1. The Finn has ten Formula 1 World Championship race victories and already has Race Of Champions experience on different surfaces and in different formats. In a statement following confirmation of his participation, he emphasised that he finds it appealing that drivers from different categories use the same track and switch between different types of cars. Bottas's participation further strengthens the F1 component of the programme, but ROC does not build its entire line-up around a single series. The organisers are announcing a broader field in which, in accordance with the event's concept, different branches of top-level motorsport are expected to be represented.
Mostert and Paddon connect Australasia with the international line-up
Chaz Mostert arrives in Wellington following a highly successful appearance at the previous Race Of Champions in Sydney. The official announcement for the New Zealand edition lists him as the 2025 Supercars champion and runner-up in the individual ROC event from the same year, making him one of the drivers with the most recent experience of fighting for the competition's overall title. In Sydney, he reached the final against Sébastien Loeb, and he now returns as one of the first confirmed participants for 2027. Mostert therefore links ROC's global format with one of the region's most recognisable racing categories. The organiser has also announced that the final line-up will be revealed gradually.
Hayden Paddon brings a domestic sporting dimension to the event, as well as extensive international rally experience. Official materials describe him as a seven-time New Zealand rally champion, and he has already competed in Race Of Champions and represented New Zealand. Paddon described ROC's arrival in Wellington as an important moment for New Zealand motorsport, highlighting the meeting of drivers from Formula 1, rallying, circuit racing and other categories. His participation gives the home crowd a clear point of reference in a competition that will at the same time feature a distinctly international line-up. For visitors from outside Wellington and international guests planning the entire weekend, accommodation offers in Wellington may also be useful, particularly because the programme runs over two consecutive days.
Brown and Kostecki expand the line-up after their joint final in Sydney
The list of confirmed drivers was expanded on 22 September with the names of Will Brown and Brodie Kostecki, two Australian Supercars champions. The organiser states that both made their ROC debuts in Sydney in 2025, where they competed together for the Australian Supercars team in the Nations Cup and reached the final. Brown won the Supercars championship title in 2024, while Kostecki was champion in 2023 and the winner of the 2024 Bathurst 1000. Their return increases the representation of Australian motorsport, while the individual part of the weekend places them in separate elimination battles. The official ROC website also states that a field of 16 drivers is planned for Wellington, while noting that the line-up is subject to change and that final confirmations will arrive ahead of January.
Two days of competition: Nations Cup on Saturday, individual title on Sunday
The Race Of Champions New Zealand programme is scheduled for 9 and 10 January 2027, with each day having its own competitive highlight. According to the organisers' schedule, the ROC Nations Cup will be held on Saturday, 9 January, a team competition in which drivers compete under national or other team designations. On Sunday, 10 January, the individual Race Of Champions will follow, with the winner earning the title "Champion of Champions". The official schedule currently calls for gates to open at 5 p.m., the supporting programme to begin at 6 p.m., driver introductions at 6:45 p.m. and the main competition to begin at 7 p.m., with the event ending at around 10 p.m. The organiser emphasises that the timetable is subject to change, so visitors should check the final information before arriving.
The division between the Nations Cup and the individual competition makes it possible to view the same weekend in two different ways. On the first day, the emphasis is on teams and combining results, while on the second day each driver advances or is eliminated according to their own duels. The concept of identical cars does not mean that only one model is used; ROC uses different types of vehicles, with rivals in a particular duel receiving comparable machinery. Drivers are therefore required to adapt quickly to different vehicle characteristics. It is precisely this adaptation that often produces interesting comparisons between specialists in single-seaters, rallying, touring cars and other categories.
Since 1988, Race Of Champions has built a format around direct comparisons between champions
Race Of Champions was founded in 1988, and the competition's official history names Fredrik Johnsson and Michèle Mouton, one of the most successful female drivers in the history of world rallying, as its founders. Over the years, the event has moved between traditional racing venues, large stadiums and unusual surfaces, while the basic idea has remained the same: bring together prominent drivers from different championships and give them short, direct duels under comparable conditions. MotorSport New Zealand notes that previous venues have included Wembley, Stade de France, Beijing's Bird's Nest and winter tracks in the Baltic region. Former participants include Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Mika Häkkinen, Sébastien Loeb, David Coulthard, Valentino Rossi and Lando Norris, along with numerous champions from other disciplines. Such a list shows that ROC is not a substitute for traditional championships, but rather a separate event that deliberately mixes different driving schools and career backgrounds.
The title "Champion of Champions" belongs specifically to the ROC format and is not a universal ranking of all motorsport disciplines. Short tracks, elimination duels and rapid adaptation to a car reward different qualities from a multi-hour endurance race, a rally on changing surfaces or a full Formula 1 season. For spectators, the advantage of such a system is its simplicity: in every duel, the objective is to cross the finish line before the opponent, without the need to follow complex season-long points systems. Drivers must understand the vehicle's behaviour and find the limit of grip in a very short period of time. Wellington will therefore offer a format in which differences in driving style can quickly become visible.
Hnry Stadium faces a demanding transformation into a temporary racing arena
One of the most technically interesting elements of the event will be the transformation of Hnry Stadium into an asphalt track. The organiser has announced a specially designed parallel configuration, with temporary infrastructure and a surface adapted for competition cars. Precise details of the New Zealand construction have not yet been fully made public, so it would not be justified to assume that the Sydney model will be replicated. Nevertheless, WellingtonNZ states that the previous edition in Sydney required five days of intensive work to turn the stadium field into a fully asphalted parallel track. That example also illustrates the logistical demands of the stadium-based ROC format.
For Hnry Stadium, hosting the event comes at a time when Wellington is seeking to attract major international sporting and entertainment events. WellingtonNZ is an event partner, and according to the regional organisation, Race Of Champions is also supported by the New Zealand government through a one-off Events Attraction Package administered by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment. The organisers expect both domestic and international visitors, meaning the event will also form part of Wellington's broader summer tourism calendar. For international audiences, the early-January date means ROC will take place in the middle of the New Zealand summer, unlike some previous editions that were held on snow and ice in northern Europe. This further demonstrates the adaptability of Race Of Champions to different locations.
Tickets from NZD 49, weekend passes from NZD 74
According to the organisers' official information, one-day tickets for Race Of Champions in Wellington start at 49 New Zealand dollars, while weekend passes for both days start at 74 New Zealand dollars. Different seating categories and hospitality packages with additional benefits have been announced. MotorSport New Zealand opened a 24-hour pre-sale at 11 a.m. on 21 September for its members, licence holders, volunteers, officials and members of affiliated clubs. According to the same announcement, general public sales begin on 22 September at 11 a.m. local time in Wellington via Ticketek, with the remaining available allocation of tickets entering the public sale. The final starting line-up will be confirmed later.
The organiser is currently announcing a total of 16 drivers, so announcements over the coming months will gradually shape the final sporting profile of the weekend. The names already confirmed provide a combination of Formula 1, Supercars and rallying, and representatives from additional disciplines are expected. The official website also warns that the line-up may change right up to the final confirmations before the event, which is common for events that depend on the schedules of professional drivers from multiple championships. Buyers should therefore consider the ticket for Race Of Champions itself separately from expectations linked to any individual name. The sporting programme has already been defined, while the complete list of participants will be finalised later.
Wellington gains an event combining the local scene with global motorsport stars
For Wellington, the most important new development is the simple fact that Race Of Champions is coming to New Zealand for the first time, in a format that will use a major city stadium as a racing arena for two consecutive days. For Race Of Champions, it is an opportunity to further strengthen its presence in Australasia after Sydney. Vettel, Bottas, Mostert, Paddon, Brown and Kostecki already create a sufficiently diverse initial line-up to demonstrate the competition's basic idea: drivers with very different careers are given a common technical framework and direct head-to-head duels. Additional driver confirmations are expected in the months leading up to the January weekend, while the organiser will simultaneously publish final programme details and any timetable changes. Until then, the key facts are confirmed: Race Of Champions New Zealand will take place on 9 and 10 January 2027 at Hnry Stadium in Wellington, with the Nations Cup on Saturday and the individual title competition on Sunday.
Sources:
- Race Of Champions – official announcement about the first edition in New Zealand, confirmed drivers, ticket prices and organisational context (link)
- MotorSport New Zealand – information about the pre-sale, general public sale date and the schedule of the two-day competition (link)
- Race Of Champions – official competition website, current announcements about the driver line-up, history and event format (link)