Motorsports seems like wasteful exercise for many. On the surface that may be true: teams all over the world pour millions of dollars every year in a never-ending quest to build the fastest possible car. And racing events mostly consist of cars going around an oval over and over again.

Yet fans understand that motorsport’s appeal lies in the fact that only a select few can bring out the best of their cars, pushing their vehicles to the limit while remaining fearless and (mostly) in control. Here are 8 videos that show this.

8. Colin McRae & Crazy Spectators – WRC Portugal 1997

The late Colin McRae may have only won the World Rally Championship once, but he’s still one of the most popular rally drivers in recent memory. He excited fans with a devil-may-care attitude, as exemplified by the quote attributed to him: “If in doubt, go flat out”.

In this video he complains loudly about the crazy Portuguese fans crowding the rally course, even taking the time to point out the mob to his co-driver—but never slowing down!

7. Schumi almost hits Fans

Everyone knows who Michael Schumacher is. Here’s the multi-time Formula 1 champion driving back to pit lane after a victory. He celebrates, pumping his fist and pointing into the air, all while angrily shooing away the growing crowd of fans putting themselves in mortal danger.

6. Formel 1 2011 – Nico Rosberg onboard Spa

The Circuit de Spa Francorchamps is one of the most beloved racing tracks in the world. It features long and graceful curves, beautiful views made possible by the track’s location in a Belgian forest, and a unique chicane that F1 cars can fly through with the pedal to the medal.

This onboard video featuring Nico Rosberg driving through the course shows just how fast Formula 1 cars are: 320 kilometers per hour at seventh gear, on a drizzle-soaked road no less! Also worth noting is the beautiful sound the car produces as Rosberg slows and downshifts, which leads into a building whine as the driver builds speed once again.

5. Ouch! Nissan 370Z crashes in GT Academy – quick compilation

Video games make racing seem so easy. Just apply the right amount of steering, braking, and your gold. You can even bump other cars in the game so you don’t have to slow down in turns.

Of course, all that isn’t possible in real life. The GT Academy is a marketing stunt designed to promote Gran Turismo, a popular driving video game for the PlayStation. The Academy takes the best drivers in the video game, and attempts to teach them racing for real.

It’s not always a smooth transition, as this video shows.

4. F1 2012 Chinese GP Hamilton Onboard Overtake Webber / Raikkonen E. Sounds

Professional racing drivers have to keep track of multiple variables at the same time: Am I consuming too much fuel? How’s my suspension doing? Am I attacking the curves correctly? Do I have enough grip for that corner? Now imagine keeping track of all that at really high speeds, while trying to overtake another driver—or trying to keep someone else from overtaking you.

See in this video just how close driver Lewis Hamilton comes to his opponent Sebastian Vettel. You’ll notice that both drivers are making split-second decisions during their long-running battle, trying to gain the upper hand while keeping disaster at bay.

3. WRC Craziest Moments II Part1

Like in any other motorsport, the name of the game in rally is going as fast as possible. So watch this driver not let a nearly detached steering wheel stop him. In fact, he keeps going while pleading with this navigator to “Get the tools” and reattach the wheel!

2. Overtake Mika Hakkinen vs Michael Schumacher Spa 2000

Here’s another overtaking video, featuring Michael Schumacher and his favorite rival of all time Mika Hakkinen. What makes the clip worth watching is Hakkinen talking reporters through the moves, laying out why his first attempt didn’t work then narrating how his second succeeded.

1. F1 Onboard Monaco Aryton Senna

The logo on the upper-right of this video indicates that the clip was “unstabilized”, meaning the editor made it shake a bit more than it actually did. Yet this onboard video of motorsport legend Aryton Senna racing through Monaco still captures the demands top-level drivers experience.

The video dates from the 90s, when Formula 1 cars still had stick-shifts. So this means Senna was trying to drive as fast as possible, get as close to the walls as possible without hitting them, while taking a hand off the steering wheel to shift gears at the right time. It’s even funny how he contemptuously overtakes the card towards the end of the video; you can feel the “get out of my way!” in the way the car revs and moves.

What other crazy onboard driving videos have you seen? Tell @ricotheque about it and use the hashtag #8CrazyDrivingVideos on Twitter.

Rico Mossesgeld

Rico is a frustrated writer, web developer, and tech blogger. Check out rico.mossesgeld.com for more details.

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