The crowd will get a great show - Button

Jenson Button will make his Race of Champions debut at Wembley Stadium on Sunday 16 December. The knock-out event will see the Honda Racing F1 Team star take on five other Formula 1 drivers, as well as the best drivers from rallying, touring cars and Nascar, in identical cars.

"I'm really looking forward to it," says Button. "I couldn't take part in the RoC last year because I was injured, so it's great to be making my debut in the competition on home turf. How many racing drivers can say they've performed at Wembley Stadium?"

The drivers will race each other around a parallel asphalt track, one kilometre in length. The cars – a RoC Buggy, an Aston Martin V8 Vantage, a 2007-spec World Rally Car and various touring cars – will be identical and there will be two prizes on offer, the Nations Cup and the Race of Champions itself.

"In the Nations Cup I'm representing England with touring car world champion Andy Priaulx," says Jenson. "He's a great driver and I know him reasonably well, so we should have a lot of fun together. But the rally drivers will have an advantage because we're driving a bespoke rally car in the event. At one point on the lap there's a 'yump' and I'm not used to having my wheels off the ground, so it could be quite interesting!"

As for Jenson's expectations, he can't contain his competitive spirit.

"I'd like to win," he says. "That's the only thing that would please me, but it will be difficult because I'm one of the few drivers that has never previously driven the cars. However, one thing is guaranteed: the crowd will get a great show, whoever wins."