Audi "factory" driver Mattias Ekström again proved his exceptional talent - in Beijing, the Swede won the "Race of Champions" for the third time after 2006 and 2007. In the competition of the world’s best race and rally drivers, the two-time DTM Champion defeated the new Formula 1 World Champion in the semi-finale, and Michael Schumacher in the finale.

"This is a very special day for me," beamed the 31-year-old after his triumph in the Olympic Stadium in Beijing. "I was not particularly fortunate this year in the DTM. To end the season with a victory against Michael Schumacher is fantastic."

Ekström showed an impressive performance on the 1.074-kilometer track in the famous "Bird’s Nest": The Audi driver was the clear winner of the qualifying rounds. At the subsequent head-to-head races in identical cars he first beat his team-mate Tom Kristensen and subsequently Formula 1 World Champion Jenson Button. In the finale he did not give Michael Schumacher the slightest chance and with two wins secured the prestigious title which he had won twice before, at the Stade de France in Paris in 2006, and at Wembley Stadium in London in 2007.