Race of Champions news - Top Gear beats Jenson Button - 2008

Not been a good week for Jenson Button, has it? First the Honda F1 exit, then an early departure from the Race of Champions tournament today at the hands of US Top Gear host Tanner Foust. 

Ex-drift champion Foust looked well at home on the tiny tarmac course laid out at Wembley, comfortably booting out the Brit rival in the first round.

Foust then fell in the next round to David Coulthard, who managed to hold on all the way to the final before losing to five-time rally champ Sebastien Loeb. It was Loeb's fifth RoC victory. 

Perhaps the biggest upset of the day, though, was Schuey's early exit - the former RoC champion was beaten in the second round by NASCAR racer Carl Edwards. To lose on such a twisty little track to a man who's only used to turning left must have been particularly gutting.

Other racers to fall before the finals included touring car driver Andy Priaulx (to Loeb in the semis), World Touring Car champion Yvan Muller and Mations Cup champ Sebastian Vettel (both second round).

Jason Plato, Jaime Alguersuari, Tom Kristensen, Adam Caroll, Gareth MacHale and Troy Bayliss all failed to make it past the first round.

The heats took place at a soaking Wembley stadium this afternoon in a mix of Focus WRC cars, KTM X-Bows and RoC buggies.

The conditions were so wet that Lewis Hamilton's planned ‘man versus machine' contest with cyclist Chris Hoy was abandoned. Instead, Lewis took Hoy on a parade lap, greeted by deafening cheers from the 40,000-strong crowd.

Get more on Race of Champions, and video, at the official website.