Edwards' busy December highlighted with RoC run (cont'd)

Schumacher appeared disgusted with himself in his post-race interview on the event's live Web cast, but paid Edwards his due when he said, "Carl was simply better and you have to respect this, so well-done to him."

Edwards made it to the semifinals of the 16-man all-star event as a rookie, losing to Scottish Formula One driver David Coulthard. Between the Race of Champions and Nations Cup events, Coulthard actually ran twice as many races as Edwards, eight to four -- and five of those eight were in the KTM X-Bow, a rear-wheel-drive, open-top two-seat sports-racing car with a two-liter, 240 HP turbocharged Audi engine.

Carl Edwards in his KTM X-Bow.

In the decisive semifinal Coulthard, whose every move Sunday was greeted by massive cheers from the crowd of more than 46,000 people, beat Edwards by just .997 seconds after Coulthard crashed his X-Bow in the last corner, but restarted in time to beat Edwards to the line.

Ironically, in their only other races in the same vehicle, Edwards was faster than Coulthard by .042 seconds in the Abarth. But the idea of this event is head-to-head competition, in which times are irrelevant.

Edwards' single-elimination competition, which featured five different types of purpose-built race or rally cars, actually consisted of two races each in the Abarths and X-Bows.

In the opening round of the Race of Champions, Edwards beat British Formula 3 champion Spaniard Jaime Alguersuari by about .6 seconds in the X-Bow. Edwards and his American teammate, drifter Tanner Foust, lost to Britons Jenson Button and Andy Priaulx, respectively, in the first round of the Nations Cup, which was eventually won for the second consecutive year by Schumacher and current Formula One driver Sebastian Vettel.

American race fans wouldn't be surprised at Edwards' assessment of either his performance, which included a crash in an Abarth in his first-round Nations Cup event or the event.

"He didn't get a chance to practice in [the Abarth Sunday], only in the rain [Saturday]," Edwards said of Schumacher. "So just like my first run today he was at a big disadvantage. That car is different to anything I've ever driven and I'm sure it's the same for him.

"The atmosphere [at Wembley] was great. It seemed like everybody was having a good time and it's real friendly competition -- until we get out on the track -- then, everyone's trying real hard."