Vettel and Loeb to duel at Race of Champions

(AFP PHOTO/JOE KLAMAR)

This year's Formula 1 champ Sebastian Vettel and WRC winner Sébastian Loeb will be among the motorsport legends swapping between high-powered vehicles and making a dash for first at the Race of Champions in Düsseldorf's Esprit Arena, Germany, on November 24 and 25.

The two Sebastians are joined by fellow F1 drivers, such as Michael Schumacher and Alain Prost, and 15 other drivers including winners from MotoGP, WRC, NASCAR, Le Mans 24hr, and the X-Games.

Available vehicles include souped-up versions of the Audi R8, Porsche 911, and VW Scirocco, the distinctive KTM X-Bow, a European stock car, and various dune buggies.

The Race of Champions consists of two events: the Nations Cup on November 24, and the Champion of Champions on November 25.

Vettel and Schumacher have together won the Nations Cup for Germany in each of the past three years and have a chance to repeat the feat on home ground.

Loeb, meanwhile, has an opportunity to take the Champion of Champions mantle on a fourth occasion, equalling fellow Frenchman Didier Auriol for all-time RoC victories.

His main rival, the 2009 Champion of Champions Mattias Ekström, will be returning to Shanghai, venue of last year's Race of Champions, to compete in the Deutche Tourenwagen Masters season finale.

Tickets for the RoC are from €31 to €402 ($42-$547 US) per day, and are available from http://www.raceofchampions.com.