Schumacher to touchdown before race

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By Chen Xiangfeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-10-29 09:05

Seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher has confirmed he will fly into Beijing in his private jet on Nov 3 and go straight to the Bird's Nest for the Race Of Champions (ROC).

The ROC, which is making its first appearance in China, comprises two separate competitions - the ROC Nations Cup (on Nov 3), featuring drivers paired in teams based on their nationalities, and The Race of Champions (on Nov 4), an individual knockout competition where drivers go head-to-head until a champion is decided.

The schedule means Schumacher will not have much time to rest before racing in the Nations Cup on the evening of Nov 3. He will team with fellow German Sebastian Vettel to race hosts China in the first round.

"Michael is in very good shape and will be physically ready for the race," organizers said, allaying concerns about his fitness with such a short time between his arrival and first race.

"He is practising and still has the ability to find top form before races. As long as there is a circuit, he is able to drive and win," said a spokeswoman from the organizing committee.

Schumacher, now serving as an advisor for the Ferrari F1 team, will head straight from Abu Dhabi to Beijing after the final round of this year's F1 World Championship.

Schumacher has made a sizeable fortune thanks to his glittering F1 career and owns two private jets.

In 2004, Forbes Magazine listed him as the second richest athlete in the world, behind Tiger Woods. The German's salary that year was reported to be about $80 million. Forbes also ranked him 17th on its "World's Most Powerful Celebrities" list.

In 2005, Eurobusiness magazine identified Schumacher as the world's first billionaire athlete.

Drive for safety

Off the track, Schumacher is an ambassador for UNESCO and a spokesman for driver safety. He participated in a FIA European road safety campaign as part of his punishment for a collision at the 1997 European Grand Prix and has continued to support other campaigns, such as Make Roads Safe, which is led by the FIA Foundation and calls on G8 countries and the UN to recognize road deaths as a global health issue.

In 2008, Schumacher was the figurehead of an advertising campaign by Bacardi to raise awareness of responsible drinking with a focus on communicating the message that 'drinking and driving don't mix'.

To capitalize on Schumacher's visit to China, the ROC's organizing committee has launched a similar initiative.

Chinese drivers, entertainment stars and TV hosts have been among the first celebrities to get involved in the campaign, which is promoted through www.roc2009.cn.

Other top drivers, including newly-crowned F1 world champion Jenson Button and F1 race winner David Coulthard, will sign a special banner to show their support for the program in Beijing.