Thursday, November 19 2015

PalmerSport instructor Bradley Philpot has qualified for the Race of Champions at London's former Olympic Stadium this weekend, following a shootout against Des Foley this afternoon (Thursday).

Bradley finished top of a public vote, which pitted him against nine other hopefuls for a chance to compete in the ROC Skills Challenge presented by a TAG Heuer, a test of driving skills including tricky manoeuvres and precision parking. Philpot and Irishman Foley, who finished as runner-up in the vote, were then pitted against each other in a shoot-out to decide which one of them would advance to the main event.

This morning the stakes were raised when Moto GP Champion Jorge Lorenzo was forced to pull out of the event, meaning that the duo would also compete for a spot in the individual Race of Champions competition on Saturday afternoon. Bradley successfully saw off his rival, putting to use the skills which are crucial in his role as an instructor at Bedford Autodrome to secure his place alongside motorsport royalty in the main event.

Bradley has been drawn against MotoGP legend Mick Doohan in the opening round, and will face the winner of a match between Blancpain GT Champion Alex Buncombe and recently-announced Lotus F1 driver Jolyon Palmer, should he advance to the quarter finals.

Other drivers he could potentially face include F1 World Champions Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button, reigning Formula E Champion Nelson Piquet Jr, and touring car legends Jason Plato and Andy Priaulx.

Bradley will still appear in the ROC Skills Challenge on Friday night, where he will test his car handling abilities against a number of well-known personalities, including London 2012 gold medallists Sir Chris Hoy, Sir Ben Ainslie, and Greg Rutherford.

Bradley commented: "I'm immensely proud to have won the final of ROC Factor and with it, a place in the full Race Of Champions. Although I'm elated, my focus is quickly switching to the new task at hand, which is to win as many races as possible in the main event. I'll work as hard as possible to represent MSV well, and I'm sure I'll enjoy every second!"

You can follow Bradley's progress here throughout the weekend.