Ryan Hunter-Reay, the 2012 Verizon IndyCar Series champion and 2014 Indianapolis 500 winner, will compete in the Race of Champions on Nov. 20-21 at London's Olympic Stadium.
Hunter-Reay, who turns 35 on Dec. 17, made his Race Of Champions debut in 2012 and also drove in the event last year in Barbados, where he won five of his six group heats. In three weeks, the Fort Lauderdale, Fla., resident again will be part of the all-star lineup in the unique format.
Drivers compete head-to-head in a variety of identical cars -- ranging from the KTM X-Bow to a Mercedes-AMG GT S -- on a serpentine track.
“I'm delighted to be returning to the Race Of Champions for the third time,” Hunter-Reay said. “Fredrik Johnsson and his ROC team put on such a spectacular event and I've really enjoyed my first two appearances in Bangkok and Barbados. It's great fun to go head-to-head with some of the best drivers from the top motorsport disciplines from around the world.
“It's a unique challenge to jump in and out of all the cars – when you get such a short amount of seat time in each. Last year I won five out of my six races in the groups so I hope I'm starting to get the hang of it. Now I'll see if I can convert that into a good run through the knockout stages, too. I'm proud to represent America, INDYCAR and the Indy 500 in such a prestigious event."
Hunter-Reay recently completed his sixth Verizon IndyCar Series season with Andretti Autosport, winning two of the final four races on the 16-race calendar and finishing sixth in the championship in the No. 28 DHL Honda. He is the most successful active U.S. driver in open-wheel competition. Hunter-Reay also has won races in CART, Champ Car, American Le Mans Series and Grand-Am.
Others scheduled to compete in the Nations Cup races and the Race of Champions knockout rounds include Formula One drivers Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Felipe Massa, Nico Hulkenberg and Romain Grosjean; nine-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Tom Kristensen; reigning World Rallycross champion Petter Solberg; reigning Formula E champion Nelson Piquet Jr.; and MotoGP world champions Mick Doohan and Jorge Lorenzo.