Jolyon Palmer will take on Nissan GT driver Alex Buncombe in the first round of this Saturday's (November 21) Race of Champions, which is being held at London's former Olympic Stadium, after the draw for the event was made yesterday. If the Southwater driver progresses from his opening match, he will face either five-time motorcycle world champion Mick Doohan or current MotoGP title-holder, Jorge Lorenzo in the quarter finals.

Buncombe is part of the Nismo Global Driver Exchange and is the current Drivers' Champion in the Blancpain Endurance Series, after he claimed the title for RJN Motorsport along with Katsumasa Chiyo and Wolfgang Reip. The 34-year-old from Taunton, who is good friends with 2009 Formula One World Champion Jenson Button, began his career in British Formula Renault in 2001, before making the switch to GT racing.

He claimed the Blancpain Endurance Series GT4 Cup in 2011, before title success this year, and he is a veteran of endurance races, having competed in the Bathurst 12 Hour and the Dubai, Nurburgring, Silverstone and Spa 24 hour races.

The Race of Champions is an annual end-of-season contest which pitches some of the world's greatest drivers from motorsport's major disciplines against each other in head-to-head races in identical machinery, and gets underway at 14:50 this Saturday. The Race of Champions Nations Cup, where drivers compete in teams of two, takes place on the Friday evening (November 20) and Jolyon will pair up with 2015 DTM Champion Pascal Wehrlein for Team Young Stars, where he will face recently crowned MotoGP champion Lorenzo in the opening round.

For this year, both events will feature an Olympic cycling-style pursuit race on an all-new track that is both wider and faster than in previous years. Drivers will start next to each other but race in opposite directions, building up to a big finish where the winner will be clearly visible as they cross the line.

You can follow Jolyon's progress in both the Race of Champions and the Nations Cup with updates on his official website and Facebook page.