Race of Champions - Nov 2 and 4

See the world's top F1 drivers race around the Bird's Nest

The most common gripe about motor racing is that it’s not fair, since drivers are all in vastly different cars; it’s a battle between mechanics and engineers as much as it is between the drivers.

Step forward the Race of Champions, where the world’s top drivers from disciplines as diverse as Formula One, touring car racing and rally driving compete one-on-one on parallel tracks, driving identical cars. This year, the ones you’ll probably have heard of are seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher and Britain’s 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button.

But there are lots of interesting ones to watch from other driving disciplines: Mikko Hirvonen, the current leader of the 2009 World Rally Championship; three-time world touring car champion Andy Priaulx; eight-time Le Mans 24 hour race-winner Tom Kristensen; V8 Supercars champion Jamie Whincup; and two-time DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom, who won the Race of Champions in 2006 and 2007.

In other words, the best racing car drivers in the world. As for the Bird’s Nest track, it’sbeen designed by female rally legend Michele Mouton and the kilometrelong circuit is set to be the fastest track since the ROC started in 1988.

It’s taken 50 people a whole week to build the track using 1,400 tonnes of asphalt on top of a substructure of 2,500 tonnes of gravel. The two tracks will start and end in parallel, then veer away from each other, then they’re designed to be exactly the same length and difficulty as one another.

The Race of Champions 2009 National Stadium, Olympic Green, Beichen Lu, Chaoyang district (8437 2992; 2993). 7.30pm. 280-2,800RMB. 朝阳区北辰路奥 林匹克公园.