Sebastien Loeb took his third Race of Champions title at Wembley on Sunday, just pipping former Formula 1 driver David Coulthard to victory in a nail-biting finale.
Loeb and Coulthard were locked in a tight battle during the three-heat final that eventually went down to a tie-breaker where the pair were split by just 0.321s.
Both drivers beat big names to the final, with Michael Schumacher, Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button all dropping out in the early rounds.
Loeb admitted he was slightly fortunate, having run wide in the first corner of his first qualifying race, and added that Coulthard had been a strong opponent in the final round.
“It was a tough fight,” said the five-time world rally champion.
“I was very lucky to get to the final because I crashed in the first corner of the race but it was okay and I could come back and win in the final.
“I started strong in the last race, because in the [second heat] I went a bit too soft, but then I tried hard and it was a good race.”
After a miserable F1 swansong in Brazil, Coulthard was delighted to have made the final in front of 40,000 home supporters.
“For me it’s a real honour to come second to Sebastien because he’s a multiple world champion,” said the Scot.
“To be on the same piece of race track as him, and to be not so far behind, I am very happy with that.”
The biggest upset of the evening came when NASCAR ace Carl Edwards beat Schumacher in the second round of the contest.
Schumacher was narrowly beaten by Edwards, as the seven-time world champion struggled to get the most from the Fiat 500 Abarth supplied for the race.
Button was also an early casualty, losing out to American drift champion Tanner Foust in the opening race of the knockout tournament.
The other major crowd-puller of the event, the man v machine contest that was set to pit Olympic cyclist Chris Hoy on a bike against Lewis Hamilton in a car, was cancelled due to a damp and slippery track surface.
Hoy was treated to a lap as Hamilton’s passenger, as the F1 world champion flung a 600bhp McLaren Mercedes SLR roadcar around the tight and twisty circuit.
However, Hoy admitted he was disappointed not to race Hamilton head to head.
"The organisers have done their best, but you have to put safety first," said the Olympic gold medallist.
"It's a huge disappointment as I was really looking forward to it and I know Lewis was too."