The1997 Race of Champions took place on December 7 atGran Canaria. It was the 10th running of the event, and the 6th running at Gran Canaria.Carlos Sainz defeated sometimeSubaruWRC teammateColin McRae to become Champion of Champions.
| Driver | Reason for Qualification |
|---|---|
 Colin McRae | World Rally champion in1995 |
 Didier Auriol | World Rally champion in1994 |
 Carlos Sainz | World Rally champion in1990 and1992 |
 Jarmo Kytölehto | Winner in the International Masters |
 Armin Schwarz | Finalist in the International Masters |
 Gustavo Trelles | 3rd in the International Masters |
| Walter Röhrl | Winner in the Legends Race |
 Stig Blomqvist | Finalist in the Legends Race |
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| Colin McRae | 1 | |||||||||
| Gustavo Trelles | 0 | |||||||||
| Colin McRae | 2 | |||||||||
| Jarmo Kytölehto | 0 | |||||||||
| Jarmo Kytölehto | 1 | |||||||||
| Walter Röhrl | 0 | |||||||||
| Colin McRae | 0 | |||||||||
| Carlos Sainz | 2 | |||||||||
| Armin Schwarz | 0 | |||||||||
| Didier Auriol | 1 | |||||||||
| Didier Auriol | 1 | |||||||||
| Carlos Sainz | 2 | |||||||||
| Carlos Sainz | 1 | |||||||||
| Stig Blomqvist | 0 | |||||||||