Everybody has a video camera these days, and a whole lot of people have cars. Therefore, the interwebnet is full of videos of people hooning around in their beaters, putting hideously expensive supercars on drag strips, or Russians beating each other up because of a minor collision. 2012 was no slouch for great car videos so we’ve rounded up the top 10 (voted for by me – this isn’t a democracy) crazy vids from the last 12 months. These are in no particular order, because awesome can’t be quantified in such a way.

Ken Block’s “Gymkhana 5”

Pretty much living the dream, Ken Block founded DC Shoes, made a tonne of money and decided he wanted to drive sideways a lot. Proving insanely popular, his “Gymkhana” videos have racked up a huge amount of hits on YouTube (Gymkhana 5 has achieved over 37 million views), as his antics get more ridiculous. For his last attempt, he decided San Francisco would look a whole lot better with tire tracks all over the road, so closed off a huge part of it and did what he does best. Cue huge jumps, lots of burned rubber and one of the most memorable videos of the year. The Infamous “Barrier Slap” OK, so it’s not really a car video, but it has a car in it, is filmed by someone in a car and just a little bit funny, so it passes the test. I’m not entirely sure just how much vodka this guy had to drink that day, but let it be a lesson to all of us. Walk AROUND the automatic barrier, not UNDER it. Close Call Part One So you’re minding your own business, driving through a Korean town. It’s just a normal day, when suddenly you’re in a scene from Keanu Reeves vehicle Speed, and a bus comes crashing down the road, out of control and heading straight for you. What do you do? Just act cool, keep going and find a comfortable-looking alleyway to drive into with just a moment to spare. The driver of this car shows remarkable calmness when faced with almost certain death. Well played, man! Luckiest Guy In Russia What happens when an unstoppable force meets, well, another unstoppable force? A guy at a petrol station in Russia almost has a heart attack, mostly. 2 trucks collide, an apple decides to bail and a man who was minding his own business decides to pray just that little bit harder that night, in one of the most terrifying russian dash-cam video of the year. Ford Rally Sports Day It can seem sometimes that everybody in motorsports take themselves a little too seriously. I guess when you’re driving hideously expensive metal around hairpin corners with nothing but a rollcage and a crumbling wall between you and a 500ft sheer cliff, you might want to hold off on the “Look, no hands” jokes. It’s refreshing, then, that Ford’s rally team can kick back, relax and take part in a good ol’ egg-and-spoon race. That’s right. Petter Solberg, Jari-Matti Latvala and the rest of the crew got together for a school sports day. It goes without saying that it gets very competitive… Across Mongolia in 4 minutes Drive Across Mongolia in 4 Minutes from Jeff Diehl on Vimeo. If you could drive across one of the most sparsely-populated, remote countries on this little rock we call Earth, would you? That’s what these guys did, and they’ve condensed the 11-day trip down to a much more digestible 4 minutes. It’s incredible just how little they came into contact with civilisation throughout the whole trip. Awesome video, and also, YAKS! Close Call Part 2 Much like the video above, the driver here deals with a near-death experience in a calm, collected fashion. Driving up a hill in Korea, the driver is met with a construction truck careening down the road towards him. What does he do? Stop, slip into reverse gear and back around the corner in time to watch the driverless truck continue it’s rampage down the road. It’s an amazing sight, and could have worked out much more painfully. Marlowe Marlowe from ALCHEMYcreative on Vimeo. This one gets the “Most Beautifully Shot” award, and tells the story of a retired teacher’s love for his 40-year-old Dodge Charger. The film is one of the most genuine, interesting and visually arresting shorts I have seen in a long time, and stands as testament to cars and the people who own them. Combined with music from Wolfmother and Edward Sharpe, this is a must-watch for so many reasons. NSX It’s not every day that cars, rubber animals and science come together to form a hilarious-yet-informative YouTube video, but we’ve got one right here. Watch the clip to see just how many SUV owners will intentionally veer onto the shoulder to run over a poor, defenseless rubber animal. So there we have it. The best car videos from the year 2012. I’m sure 2013 will be even better, so keep an eye on the web for more Russian crazyness, Korean calmness and beautiful artistic vision. Til next time!