Imagine this: you're in a closed stadium with full view of two parallel tarmac tracks, a handful of modified Aston Martins, WRC cars, custom buggies, and 16 of the worlds best drivers from all forms of racing ranging from F1, WRC, DTM, World Touring Cars, NASCAR, etc., all battling it out with each other to determine a 'champion of champions.' It's quite a spectacle, and that's exactly what you get to see every year at the Race of Champions.

The ROC was the brainchild, 20 years ago, of Michele Mouton, the most famous woman rally driver of all time and the only woman to ever win a WRC event, and IMP (International Media Productions) President, Fredrik Johnsson. The event has since taken on a life of its own, as motorsport enthusiasts hold their breath in anticipation every year to see the greatest names in motorsport go head to head against each other in equal machinery.

There was a time, not too long ago, when the best drivers in the world would participate in multiple disciplines of racing – the top of the ladder always being Formula 1, but sports cars, touring cars, Indy cars, etc., were very much in the fold as well. This gave fans of motorsport a real sense of who the best driver in the world – or the most complete at any rate – really was. Such a scenario is unheard of in today's date. Multiple WRC champion Sebastian Loeb and 1997 F1 champion Jacques Villeneuve have both competed at Le Mans in the recent past, but it's not common practice by any stretch.

After all, I'd certainly like to see who's faster – seven time F1 world champion, Michael Schumacher, or two time world rally champion, Marcus Gronholm. The most recent ROC took place on the 16th of December at Wembley Stadium in the UK and included these two drivers, including others such as 2003 WRC Champion Petter Solberg, double DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom, seven-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen, reigning NASCAR champion Jimmie Johnson, reigning World Touring Car champion Andy Priaulx, and several Formula 1 stars such as Jenson Button and David Coulthard.

Germany won the nations cup this time with Schumacher and compatriot Sebastian Vettel, while DTM champion and reigning ROC champion, Ekstrom beat Schumacher in the finals to take the individual title for the second consecutive year – incidentally Schumacher also lost out in the finals in 2004 to a very young and talented Heikki Kovalainen, while four-time WRC champ Sebastian Loeb took the title in 2005.

<< Michele Mouton, co-founder, ROC