Jenson Button to compete at 2011 Race Of Champions

Jenson Button

2009 Formula 1 world champion Jenson Button has signed up to compete in this year’s Race Of Champions at Düsseldorf’s ESPRIT arena.

Button made his last ROC appearance at the event in Beijing just days after the end of his fairytale title-winning F1 season two years ago. Since then he has produced a string of stunning grand prix victories for McLaren, many of them in the wet-dry track conditions that he has made his own. That has continued in 2011 with his mighty ride from the back of the field to the front in Canada and his storming win in last month’s Hungarian Grand Prix. Now ROC organizers are proud to announce that Button will return to its unique stadium environment on December 3-4.

The Briton has a strong record in the Race Of Champions too: in 2009 he reached the ROC Nations Cup final for Team GB in partnership with fellow Guernsey resident Andy Priaulx (pictured) and he also made the semi-finals of the individual Race Of Champions. Now Button will be keen to go a step further in Düsseldorf, where he is guaranteed to come up against at least two other fellow F1 world champions: home heroes Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel.

Button said: "I'm really looking forward to coming back to the Race Of Champions again in December. It's a great way to round off the season and it's always fun to meet up with old friends from all the different forms of motorsport. Apart from last year when I had a clash of commitments, I've turned into something of an ROC regular. It’s a lot of fun and everyone wants to put on a good show for the fans. In the ROC Nations Cup Team Germany had an annoying habit of beating us at Wembley so it's probably about time someone managed to pay them back on their home ground…"

Race organizer Fredrik Johnsson said: “We are delighted that we will see Jenson back at the Race Of Champions in 2011. He has always been a hugely entertaining performer in this event and we’ve always appreciated his appearances. The last two were particularly memorable as he came to Wembley in 2008 when he didn’t know if he’d still be driving in F1 in 2009. Then, 12 months later, he returned to ROC as F1 world champion. We look forward to plenty more excitement from him in December."

The Race Of Champions is an annual end-of-season competition that brings together the world’s greatest drivers from all motor sport’s disciplines – including Formula 1, world rally, touring cars, Le Mans and NASCAR – and sets them free to battle head-to-head in identical machinery on a specially constructed parallel track. Drivers pair up for the ROC Nations Cup, this year scheduled for Saturday 3 December, before the individual Race Of Champions takes place on Sunday 4 December.

Button is the fourth driver to be confirmed so far for 2011. He joins German Formula 1 superstars Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel, who will again race in front of their home fans, plus three-time ROC Champion of Champions Mattias Ekström. Plenty more big name drivers will be added in the run-up to the December event.