Finally opened early this year after several delays, the new Wembley Stadium can seat no less than 90,000 people. At a cost of £798 million pounds it is the world's most expensive stadium. The biggest star in action in Wembley will be Michael Schumacher and he will get to drive the Super2000 Grande Punto Abarth for the first time. For three years the event, held at the Stade de France in Paris, has attracted well over 50,000 spectators each year. Action from the Race of Champions 2006 was broadcast in over 200 countries and watched by more than 186 million viewers.

Drivers in The Race of Champions will be competing in a selection of five cars, it was confirmed after Fiat and the Solution F prototype touring car announced their participation.

Fiat will be supplying the Super2000 Grande Punto Abarth, a champion car that counts the European FIA Rally Championship, the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and the Italian Rally Championship amongst its titles.

Abarth’s Operations Director, Claudio Berro, says the car will definitely add spice to The Race of Champions action, which already promises to be a thrilling event with drivers including Michael Schumacher, Jenson Button and David Coulthard battling it out at Wembley Stadium in a champion of champions decider. "The famous scorpion badge was chosen as a clear indication of what Abarth was all about,” said Berro, “Small cars with a big sting in the tail. Our car is a rally car, therefore it is designed for the tortuous and narrow roads; I think it will do very will on the demanding track at Wembley Stadium," he added.

Meanwhile the prototype Solution F car, which proved extremely successful in the Dubai 24 Hours race where it dominated its class podium, is perfectly suited to the tight, demanding circuit according to the car’s Technical Director, Hugues Baude. "For The ROC it’s a new car,” he said. “But we have been racing with it for two years in France and Belgium. It’s a very easy-to-drive car. The drivers will be able to get around the corners at top speed!

Meanwhile both Ford, the 2007 World Rally Manufacturer Champions, and Aston Martin will be at the December 16 event. The Aston Martin Vantage N24, which is a variant of the V8 Vantage developed for the Nürburgring 24 Hours, caused a storm at The Race of Champions 2006, producing some of the most thrilling action. The fifth and final car will be the famous ROC 'buggy' cars that are so popular with the drivers and spectators. With its six speed sequential gearbox, great horsepower to weight ratio (175 bhp for less than 400 kgs) and superb handling the completely neutral ROC Cars are perfect for the decisive heats which can get pretty intense.

Sixteen drivers are confirmed for The Race of Champions, many of them multiple champions from disciplines including F1, touring cars, NASCAR, Champ Car, rally and sports car. They will be competing in identical cars around the specially-designed parallel track watched by an expected 80,000 crowd, all with a perfect view of every second of action.

The ROC was created in 1988 by Fredrik Johnsson and the world’s best woman rally driver Michèle Mouton. The premise is simple: using identical equipment and track, drivers can prove themselves based on talent alone. The drivers compete in a series of knockout heats in their own division to determine their class champion. Then, in a shoot-out to determine who is the master of motorsport, the winners go head-to-head in a super final. The victor is awarded the title “The Champion of Champions”.

The biggest star in action in Wembley will be Michael Schumacher and he will get to drive the Super2000 Grande Punto Abarth for the first time. The seven-time Formula One champion has got himself usefully reacclimatised with the racing cockpit after revisiting former team Ferrari in a testing role, setting the fastest time on both days in Barcelona last month despite being away from the sport for one year.

When asked whether the absence would affect his performance in The Race of Champions, where he will compete against fellow motorsport champions including World Rally leader Marcus Grönholm, four-time Champ Car Champion Sébastien Bourdais and double World Touring Car Champion Andy Priaulx, the racing legend was circumspect. “Well, of course I hope not.” said Schumacher, who will partner F1 newcomer Sebastian Vettel for Team Germany in the ROC Nations Cup. “It might have even heightened my motivation to drive, as I have seen when testing the F1 for Ferrari. On the other hand you never know; it is clear that practice helps a lot.”

Now the German superstar is looking forward to testing his metal again against the best in the world at Wembley Stadium next month, when the hallowed turf will be transformed into a tarmac race track to facilitate this champion of champions decider. “I can tell you that I had never in my life a bad feeling getting behind the wheel of a car,” he said, who does says he has no nerves about his competitive return. “No, serious again, I look forward to finally get out there. The Race of Champions is just a great event.” Schumacher competed in The Race of Champions 2004 at the Stade de France in Paris. He reached the semi-finals before being knocked out by Heikki Kovalainen, who now drives for Renault F1.

Drivers already confirmed for 2007 include: Seven-time Formula One World Champion Michael Schumacher; Formula One star Jenson Button; Reigning World Touring Car Champion, Andy Priaulx; Red Bull Racing’s David Coulthard; Triple Champ Car Champion Sébastien Bourdais; Seven-time Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen; Former DTM Champion Mattias Ekström; Reigning NASCAR Champion Jimmie Johnson; Eight-time X-Games Champion Travis Pastrana; Double World Rally Champion, Marcus Grönholm; Renault F1’s Heikki Kovalainen; Scuderia Toro Rosso’s Sebastian Vettel; 1995 British Rally Champion Alister McRae; World Touring Car Championship star Yvan Muller; 2003 World Rally Champion, Petter Solberg; and Five-time Norwegian Rally Champion, Henning Solberg.

This traditional end-of-season showdown attracts spectators from across Europe. For three years the event, held at the Stade de France in Paris, has attracted well over 50,000 spectators each year. Action from the Race of Champions 2006 was broadcast in over 200 countries and watched by more than 186 million viewers.