Sydney’s Accor Stadium to host Australian debut for Race of Champions in 2025

Motorsport’s Race of Champions (ROC) will head to Australia for the first time with the announcement that its next edition will take place at Sydney’s Accor Stadium on 7th and 8th March next year.

The ROC series has agreed the deal to host the event in Sydney with producer and promoter TEG Sport and NSW Government agency Venues NSW.

The move to Sydney is part of the ROC’s return to a stadium-focused events strategy with its last two editions, in 2022 and 2023, having been held on a snow and ice track in Piteå, northern Sweden.

The two nights of racing will see drivers compete head-to-head in identical cars on ROC’s parallel track that will pit some of Australia’s best drivers against the stars from Formula 1, IndyCar, Le Mans, World Rally and Rally X.

With a history dating back to 1988, the Race Of Champions has been held at some of the world’s greatest venues, including Beijing’s Bird’s Nest Olympic Stadium, Stade de France in Paris, London’s Olympic Stadium and Wembley Stadium, Mexico City’s Foro Sol, plus a wide range of exotic locations all over the globe from Bangkok, Barbados, Miami, Riyadh, Mexico City and the Arctic Circle in Sweden.

The ROC racing format is a winner-takes-all contest that gives drivers from various disciplines of motorsport the opportunity to test their talents against competitors they would never typically encounter.

Stars who have previously competed include Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel, Sébastien Loeb, David Coulthard, Marcus Grönholm, Jenson Button, Jimmie Johnson, Kurt and Kyle Busch, Jeff Gordon, Ryan Hunter-Reay, Josef Newgarden, Lucas Di Grassi, Travis Pastrana, Juan-Pablo Montoya and Helio Castroneves.

The event will not only celebrate the global motorsport elite but also give an opportunity to celebrate the motorsport history of Australia with top Australian drivers competing head-to-head with the world’s best.

Announcing the event, TEG advised that “it what will be the ultimate motorsport experience in Sydney in 2025, fans can expect a festival-like atmosphere surrounding Race of Champions, with entertainment, activities, and a chance to witness some of the world’s best drivers.”

ROC President and co-founder, Fredrik Johnsson advised “we are incredibly excited to bring the Race Of Champions to Australia for the first time ever.

“ROC has always been about pushing drivers to their limits in unique conditions.

“Australia has a rich motorsport heritage, and we're looking forward to celebrating that by pitting some of the best Australian drivers against some of the world’s most legendary racing stars in a spectacular showdown in the middle of Accor Stadium.”

Accor Stadium has also confirmed that British rock band Oasis will play at the venue in 2025.

Images: Race of Champions drivers in London (top) and the series takes over Paris' Stade de France (below). Credit: TEG.