"The most dangerous race in the world," claim the makers of a new film, Dust to Glory. Located on Mexico's Baja California Peninsula each fall, the Baja 1000 is an annual magnet for dune buggies, motorcycles and other off-road vehicles, as the temptation of a 1,000 mile race full of treacherous terrain and blind turns proves just too great for many.
Booby traps and sabotage are par for the course in the Baja 1000, as spectators are commonly known for burying obstacles, digging holes and creating poorly-designed jumps that could (and have) severely injure riders.
With barriers outlining hairpin turns along tight city streets, there's zero room for error in the Macau Grand Prix. It's been called the most dangerous motorcycle race on Earth, and for good reason; last year, a rider was killed during warm-up sessions alone. Each year more than three hundred racers gather for the event, which is split between motorcycles in the morning and cars in the afternoon.
Any race around the world is bound to be full of perils, but the nine-month, 39,000 nautical mile endurance challenge called the Volvo Ocean Race is perhaps the most grueling of them all. The race begins in Alicante, Spain, but it's the second leg of the Volvo Ocean Race that poses the real challenge as crews from eight yachts will brave the grueling journey from Cape Town, South Africa to Kochi, India, a hazard-ridden 4,450 mile stretch of open ocean. Traditionally, the second leg of the race runs from Cape Town to Australia or New Zealand. Icebergs, freezing chill and raging seas in relentless storms are just a few of the pitfalls that boaters braved every three years, but with a new course, the danger of the unknown is now the main concern.
Pirates off the coast of Somalia are now a real danger, although race organizers have done their best to set the course to keep the yachts far from the piracy zone. The skippers, however, have been warned to take extra precautions and had to attend a briefing on piracy during their stay in Cape Town.
The heartbreak of watching vintage automotive masterpieces crumpling like aluminum foil is a common emotion here in Brescia, as this 100-mile race around Italy's "boot" tempts the big money players to bring their toys out for a spin. One driver died two years ago after crashing his 1932 Alfa Romeo, and car aficionados undoubtedly mourned the loss of such a beautiful vehicle nearly as much as the driver himself.
When the Mille Miglia began in the early 1930s, sports cars raced through open roads with reckless abandon. The event has now become a toned-down affair of vintage cars, though accidents are still common.
Dakar Rally - Lisbon, Portugal to Dakar, Senegal
This deadly 700-mile race has claimed 45 lives since its start in 1979. An off-road test of endurance, the race is open to both amateur and professional riders, with amateurs typically comprising about eighty percent of the total participants. Competing cars, trucks and motorcycles are often emblazoned with the rider's blood type, a sure sign of badassery if there ever was one (shootings aren't uncommon on the course). Last year, fewer than half the 435 entrants actually finished the race.
The Dakar Rally was conceptualized by racer Thierry Sabine, who got lost in the desert in 1977 and decided that it would be a great location for a rally. Because, naturally, a great sign of any quality racetrack is the likelihood of getting hopelessly lost.
Originating in 1907, this time-trial race pits a series of high-speed motorcycles against one another on a 33-mile-by-13-mile island. Narrow streets with tracks lined by stone walls have claimed the lives of over 180 racers over the years, due in no small part to the fact that the course was originally built for bicycles.
Just east of Prague, during the second week of October each year, human and horse limbs alike are frequently crushed in this cross-country steeplechase horse race. Velká Pardubická (Big Pardubice) originated in 1874 and has risen to extremely popularity over the next century, as racers traversing the 6.9 km course must face 31 different obstacles in the 10 minutes or so it takes to reach the finish line. That means spectators are nearly guaranteed plenty of flailing, snapping limbs as riders are thrown and trampled with nerve-wracking frequency.
Also known as the Transat 650, the Mini Transat 6.50 is a perilous 5,000-mile solo transatlantic yacht race from France to Brazil. Boat decks must not be longer than 21 feet, and masts must be less than 40 feet, keeping the vessels small enough to be tossed like toothpaste caps in the raging seas. Fewer than half the entrants actually finish the race, and those who do normally take 40 days. Falling overboard and getting lost at sea are par for the course.
It's not the elements, sharp turns or ruthless competitors that make the World Rally so dangerous, but rather the spectators lining the streets. Crowds lining the streets have been known to surge onto the actual race course while attempting to get the best view, and collisions have been reported. The annual World Rally consists of 15 three-day auto events, driven over a course of widely varied terrain. Wins are awarded to both racers and manufacturers in this championship event series.
24 Hours of Le Mans -Le Mans, France
This high-speed auto endurance race puts most other races to shame in terms of fatalities, racking up 129 deaths since its start in 1923. To be fair, most of the fatalities occurred in one horrific crash: a 1955 accident in which Mercedes-Benz driver Pierre Levegh crashed his car into a grandstand, killing himself and 83 spectators.
A stronger focus is placed on on high speeds than the savvy of negotiating turns, with first place awards going to the driver in each of a series of categories who covers the most miles over 24 hours.
