Race of Champion begins in Bird's Nest

We begin at the famed Bird's Nest, but the action not going on there far removed from the traditional use of the icon. The nest has been transformed to hold the Race of Champions.

Chinese celebrities take part in the Race of Champions Beijing 2009  in Beijing, China, Monday, Nov. 2, 2009. The Race of Champions is  an international motorsport event featuring some of the world's  best racing and rally drivers from different disciplines,  including World Rally, Formula One and NASCAR, competing head to  head using identical cars.(AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

The top motorsport event has attracted numerous stars including newly-crowned F1 world champion Jenson Button and seven-time champion Michael Schumacher, and a host of drivers from rally, touring and Moto GP races.

Monday's events featured a drivers' presentation and exhibitions, a Celebrity Race, the Chinese driver event, and a Challenge race between 4 top Chinese drivers and International legends.

In the Chinese driver competition, veteran Dong Hebin claimed the title, while Han Han finished in second.

The duo will represent China in Tuesday's Nations Cup and the Race of Champions on Wednesday.