F1 star Michael Schumacher and WSB champ Troy Bayliss maybe retired, but the duo were back in action racing in the 2008 Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium.
Three-time World Superbike champion Troy Bayliss tried his hand at four-wheeled racing when he competed in the
2008 Race of Champions at Wembley Stadium. The annual event pits famous racers from all disciplines against one another for ultimate bragging rights. Driving in head-to-head elimination races, the best of the best competed in a slew of cars – including the KTM X-Bow and ROC Car, a four-cylinder, purpose-built, 170 horsepower racer.
Bayliss, driving the ROC Car, was eliminated in Heat 1 by German F1 racer Sebastien Vettel. The eventual winner was five-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb, with the Frenchman getting the better of British F1 racer David Coulthard. In the best-of-three final, Loeb took Race 1 with Coulthard scoring a win in Race 2 aboard his KTM X-Bow. The deciding race saw Loeb eek out a win with a mere 0.3-second advantage.
“For sure, when you are on the start line, you want to win, but with this event there is not too much pressure,” said Loeb after his victory. “It’s a very tight track and you have to give everything you can. I didn’t get as much experience as some of the others, as I only did one ROC Nations Cup race, but it was a good weekend for me.”
Other competitors of note include retired F1 star Michael Schumacher and American NASCAR racer Carl Edwards. The usual star American, FMX and X-Games rider Travis Pastrana, did not compete in the 2008 event.
