Race of Champions news - Race of China? - 2009

This year's Race of Champions will not be held at Wembley Stadium but instead in Beijing, the event's organisers have announced.

The annual event, which brings together the top drivers in the world in a series of head-to-head races, will take place in the awesome Bird's Nest Stadium - the stage for last summer's Olympics - on November 3 and 4, just two days after the finale to the F1 season in Abu Dhabi.

The Race of Champions has traditionally been held in December. This year it moves to the Far East for the first time, after a two-year residency in London. The 2008 final saw Seb Loeb edge out David Coulthard in a best-of-three.

"I would like to say thank you to Wembley for the past two years," said event organiser Fredrik Johnsson. "The people there were great to work with and helped us put on two fantastic events. This year will be the Race of Champions' first year outside of Europe, but we will definitely be back soon."

No word yet on which drivers will be competing, but the event organiers are promising another stellar line-up. Anyone for a cheeky fiver on Jenson Button adding another trophy to the big shiny one he'll have got his hands on by, er, mid-July?