Father and son duo, Petter and Oliver Solberg, chasing three-peat in Race Of Champions – ROC Nations Cup at Accor Stadium in Sydney, March 7-8.
At the 2025 Race Of Champions the Solbergs will compete against no less than::
4-time Formula 1 World Champion - Sebastian Vettel
Formula 1 Ace - Valtteri Bottas
9-time FIA World Rally Champion - Sebastien Loeb
7-time Supercar Champion - Jamie Whincup
Reigning Supercars champion - Will Brown
11-time X-Games Gold medalist - Travis Pastrana
Former F1 driver and current WEC driver - Mick Schumacher
Extreme E Champion - Molly Taylor
7-time FIA World Rallycross Champion - Johan Kristoffersson
2-time European Rally Champion - Hayden Paddon
Accor Stadium to be turned into a spectacular 1 kilometer asphalt race track when this unique event is hosted for the first time in the Southern Hemisphere.
More superstars from Formula 1, Supercars, Le Mans, Nascar, World Rally & Rally X to be announced in coming weeks.
Tickets from $49 now on sale through Ticketek.
Father and son rallying stars Petter and Oliver Solberg to defend ROC Nations Cup Title for Norway at Race Of Champions at Sydney’s Accor Stadium
One of world motorsport’s greatest father and son combinations, Petter and Oliver Solberg, will return to defend their ROC Nations Cup title at Sydney’s Race Of Champions 2025 at Accor Stadium from March 7-8.
The Solbergs have won the last two ROC Nations Cups for Norway and plan to make the first Race Of Champions event in the Southern Hemisphere the venue for a three-peat.
The Race Of Champions will run over two nights on a purpose built, 1km tarmac track taking centre stage at Accor Stadium.
Night one (March 7) includes the ROC Nations Cup where two-driver teams compete for their nominated country to Crown the ‘World’s Fastest Nation’. The following night (March 8) will see all drivers going head-to-head for the ‘Champion of Champions’ honors.
Sydney’s Olympic Stadium will be a long way from the snow and ice of Sweden’s Pite Havsbad, where the Solbergs retained their ROC Nations Cup title - just 100km (60 miles) from the Arctic Circle, last year.
Ironically, Oliver is half Swedish and will be representing Sweden when he races for the ‘Champion of Champions’ Title on the Saturday night - head to head with his Norwegian father and a host of other international stars.
Oliver, 23, has been rallying since he was 15 years old and won several crosskarting championships before winning the 2018 RallyX Nordic Championship and the FIA ERC1 Junior title the following year.
He joined Hyundai as the team’s third driver for the 2022 world Rally Championship and moved to WRC2 last year with Skoda - winning his first event at Rally Sweden.
This year he led the WRC2 for most of the season before a puncture in Chile caused him to lose the championship title to Finnish driver Sami Parjari.
His efforts turned plenty of heads and he was recently signed by Toyota for next year’s WRC2 where he will represent Sweden driving a Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 for Printsport.
Petter Solberg made his debut in the World Rally Championship in 1998 and was signed by the Subaru factory team for a full-time drive at the end of 2000.
He finished second in the 2002 world championship before clinching the title in 2003 - winning Telstra Rally Australia on his way to the crown.
In the following nine years as a full-time driver he never finished worse than sixth in the WRC.
From 2005 to 2008 Petter’s Subaru teammate was Australian Chris Atkinson.
In 2013 he moved to rallycross and in 2014 won the inaugural FIA World Rallycross Championship before going back-to-back the following year.
He won the teams’ championship with his own Volkswagen-backed operation and won the teams championship in 2017 and 2018 before his full-time retirement from the sport.
The Race Of Champions comes two weeks after the 2025 Supercars opener at Sydney Motorsport Park (Feb 21-23) and one week before the opening round of the F1 World Championship in Melbourne (March 13-16) - creating a massive month of motorsport in Australia.
In Sydney, Busch and Pastrana will be going head to head with no less than four-time Formula 1 World Champion, Sebastian Vettel; current F1 ace Valtteri Bottas; seven-time Supercars champion Jamie Whincup, reigning Supercars champion Will Brown, Extreme champion Molly Taylor, nine-time FIA World Rally Champion, Sébastien Loeb; 7-time FIA World Rallycross Champion, Johan Kristoffersson; former FIA F2 champion and F1 driver, Mick Schumacher and two-time European Rally Champion, Kiwi, Hayden Paddon.
What Petter Solberg said:
“Race Of Champions is definitely one of the highlights of the season” said Petter.
"Australia is definitely a place with good memories for me; it’s where Pernilla and me got engaged and I remember Oliver coming out there with us for the first time when he was just one! ”
"From the competition side, Rally Australia was always one of the best organised WRC rounds. I did it eight times in my career and winning in Perth in 2003 was a special one. The people, the fans are great out there, with lots of passion for the sport. And driving in a stadium like the Accor in Sydney will be fantastic.”
What Oliver Solberg said:
“It’s always nice to go to an event as the defending champion and even better when you are the champion with your father!” said Oliver.
"Everybody goes to Race Of Champions to kind of enjoy themselves a little bit and to hang out with drivers from other championships, but then the competition is always super-close when we are pulling on the helmet.”
"Like you can imagine, I don’t remember my first visit to Australia but I’m really hoping my dad and I can make this one a memorable one and make the Nations Cup hat-trick. It’s sure that it’s going to be a different feeling from this Race Of Champions, the conditions will be quite different from what we had in Sweden!”
Fredrik Johnsson, Race Of Champions President and Co-Founder said:
“In the world of rallying there are few bigger names than Solberg,” said Johnsson.
“Petter and Oliver have done an amazing job to win the ROC Nations Cup back to back the last couple of years and, despite moving from the ice in Sweden to the tarmac at Accor Stadium, it would be a brave person who bets against them having a chance of a three-peat."
“Petter is one of the true legends of the sport and Oliver is forging his own career at a young age and certainly has motorsport in his blood."
“Petter has strong ties with Australia having won Rally Australia in 2003 and having an Australian teammate (Chris Atkinson) in the Subaru WRC team for three years."
“Oliver was desperately unlucky not to win the WRC2 title this year and he certainly has some exciting times ahead with Toyota next year."
“The unique nature of Race Of Champions will allow them to race together for Norway on the Friday night in the ROC Nations Cup and then try to beat each other the next in the individual Race Of Champions when Oliver will represent his birth country Sweden, where is mother Pernilla is from and where he lives. Teammates the first day – rivals the next!”
ROC SYDNEY 2025
The ROC Nations Cup takes place on Friday March 7, with drivers paired in teams based on nationality to bid for the title of ‘World’s Fastest Nation’.
The Saturday night will see the individual Race Of Champions, when all teamwork goes out of the window and it will be a battle for individual glory and the ‘Champion of Champions’ title.
Next year’s Race Of Champions comes two weeks after the 2025 Supercars opener at Sydney Motorsport Park (Feb 21-23) and one week before the opening round of the F1 World Championship in Melbourne (March 13-16).
ROC is renowned for gathering some of the best drivers in the world, including superstars from Formula 1, Le Mans, Nascar, Supercars, World Rally and Rallycross.
Hospitality and Track side packages and General Admission Tickets starting from $49.00 for children and $69.00 for adults. Tickets are on sale now through Ticketek.
EVENT SCHEDULE
Friday 7th March - ROC Nations Cup – to crown the world's fastest NationAccor Stadium, Sydney
Doors Open 5:30pm
Show Starts 6:30pm*
Race Starts 7:30pm
Saturday 8th March – Race Of Champions – to crown the "Champion of Champions"Accor Stadium, Sydney
Doors open 5:30pm
Show Starts 6:30pm*
Race Starts 7.30pm