Wheldon, Bourdais join RoC line-up

The North American single-seater champions join Le Mans 24 hours winner Tom Kristensen, former DTM champion Mattias Ekstrom and Dakar Rally winner Stephane Peterhansel as the latest additions to the line-up for the knock-out event in the Stade de France in Paris.

Leading motorsport names, including Sebastien Loeb and Jeff Gordon, have already been announced for the event, which involves competing on several different types of cars in a knock-out format. Last year's event was won by GP2 racer Heikki Kovalainen.

Competitors in the Race of Champions and the Nations Cup will race in a number of exciting cars, including three-times WRC manufacturers' championship-winning Citroen Xsara WRC, Porsche 911 GT3 Road Challenge, the Renault Megane Trophy and the bespoke ROC Cars.

"This is a proud moment for me to receive an invitation to the Race of Champions in Paris," said Wheldon. "This is such a unique event and I hear the atmosphere at the Stade de France is electric. It will be an honour to race with some of the most respected names in motorsport and I'm excited for the opportunity to represent England."

Bourdais competed in the event last year, and is again looking forward to driving on home soil.

"It's great that winning the Champ Car title has opened the door for me again to enter the Race of Champions," said Bourdais. "In the international calendar the race has become a must-see and unique event.

"It's the perfect opportunity for me to be able to thank the French public for their unbelievable support. The atmosphere last year was incredible and I can't wait to get back on the track to give the public a fantastic show, with a podium finish I hope."

Further to the knock-out event, Kristensen and Ekstrom will join forces for a Scandinavian team for the Nations Cup part of the meeting.