Though he may have decided to step down from rallying – full-time at least – Marcus Gronholm has underlined he will be far from retiring when it comes to taking on fellow motorsport superstars in the Race of Champions.

The end-of-season spectacular – which will take place on British soil for the first time on 16 December, in the hallowed Wembley Stadium – will pit drivers from a number of different motor racing disciplines up against each other in a variety of machinery. Gronholm will be joined by such as Formula 1 aces Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard, Jenson Button, Heikki Kovalainen and Sebastian Vettel, multiple Champ Car title-winner Sebastien Bourdais, tin-top kings Andy Priaulx and Mattias Ekstrom and leading NASCAR star Jimmie Johnson amongst others.

“Our championship is finished,” the Finn said, speaking to Crash.net Radio, “so it's a race that isn't so serious and where we can be a little bit relaxed. There's not going to be any pressure, but of course we want to perform well and once we put our helmets on and get out onto the track we will all be trying to win!”

The 39-year-old double World Rally Champion may have narrowly missed out on adding a third WRC laurels to his impressive collection this year after being defeated by Citroen rival Sebastien Loeb at the end of a long, closely-fought season, but he has fond memories of the Race of Champions, having triumphed in the event back in 2002 when it took place in Gran Canaria.

Though Finland has a strong record in the RoC – with victory for Heikki Kovalainen, over Schumacher no less, two years ago and nations glory last year – Gronholm insists there will be no extra pressure or expectations on the country this time around. He also acknowledged the presence of his Ford Focus RS WRC '07 machine amongst the selected cars – having had to campaign the Citroen Xsara WRC for the past two years – could do little to harm his chances, but he admitted there was one particular car he was somewhat more unsure about.

“Of course yes,” he agreed. “That will be a small advantage for sure because I know a few things about that car… The Aston Martin [V8 Vantage N24] was quite difficult to drive though – it's not really the easiest one here and I think drivers will struggle with that one.

“It's my first time in the event as an ex-rally driver, so it might feel a bit strange for me, but the track looks good. There aren't any really difficult sections, but if it rains it will be difficult everywhere! It will certainly be an interesting day…”