[Video] Rhys Millen Plays Speed Golf with Hyundai Veloster

The man from the Antipodes uses his monstrous Veloster rally car to help him sink a hole in one.

Hyundai's latest humorous creation brings together Kiwi Rally sensation Rhys Millen, a Hyundai Veloster Rally car, a few golf balls, and a couple of cows.

Shot on what appears to be a nicely kept links course, it's hard to see the point of the video. Perhaps it's meant to make light of the fact the Veloster had been criticized for being as powerful as a golf cart when it was first released.There's nothing tame about this particular Veloster however, with a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine delivering 500hp and 600lb-ft of torque to all four wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox.Enjoy the video and make sure to watch it through to the end as the blooper reel is a blast.

MINI rally cars 2012

The MINI rally cars were dominant in the first five days of the event with the Hummers only second best.

Five stages into the Dakar 2012, currently underway in South America, American racing driver-now rally driver Robby Gordon is still maintaining a hope of winning the event. Gordon hasn't won any of the first five stages, though he is lying in fourth place just 13:32 minutes from the leader Frenchman Stephane Peterhansel in a MINI.Peterhansel is in front of two other MINI rally cars: Polish driver Krzysztof Holowczyc and the Spaniard Nani Roma.
Nasser Al-Attyiah, Gordon's teammate and last year's winner, has almost lost all hope of keeping his title as he is currently in 8th place, more than 50 minutes behind the leader.
The first five days were quite eventful, the lead changed hands a few times (though only among the MINI cars) as the competitors tackled various sorts of terrain, climbed to altitudes of up to 3,500 m above sea level and came to terms with the event. After three days Gordon, in his orange colored Hummer, was in second place and over 44 seconds off the pace.

However he lost over 18 minutes on the next day and steadied the ship on the fifth day as he clawed back about 3 minutes off the leader.Al-Attyiah suffered from more bad luck. On the first day he lost over nine minutes on the short first special stage. He then recovered to win the second stage, the only one that none of the MINIs won so far, and finished third on the third day. He lost more time on days 4 and 5 due to technical problems so now he is out of touch with the leaders.Petrhansel remains now the main candidate to win the event that ends on January 15.
So far he won only one stage, the fourth, suffered a bad day in the office on the third day, but now when Gordon is more than 13 minutes in arrears and two of his teammates are behind him he just has to keep himself out of trouble.The sixth stage, which was due for Friday, has been cancelled because of bad weather over the Andes Mountain Range as rain and snow are falling heavily in the region. The competitors will enter Chile in a convoy driving over the Paso de San Francisco pass, situated at altitude of 4,700 m.

Dartz Century Run Relives 1912 Monte Carlo Rally

Famed for their appearance in The Dictator, two Dartz Prombron armored trucks are embarking on a cross-European odyssey to commemorate a hundred-year old rally. 

The French Rivera has been organizing automotive events as far back as 1897, and following Prince Albert 1st of Monaco's desire to put Monte Carlo on the high society map, two members of the Automobile club de Monaco organized a European Automobile tour.What began as a car beauty contest with vehicles arriving by train, soon became an event where cars were driven all the way, and in 1911 the first Monaco Automobile Rally was held.

Europe's high society travelled through different cities showing off their elaborate cars and in 1912, 54 of the 65 entrants completed the rally. One such participant was Andrew Nagel as part of the Russo-Balt automobile team, founded in Latvia's capital city Riga.On 31 December 1911, Nagal and his crew set off from St. Petersburg before covering 3527 kilometers of icy cold European roads in 198 hours and 23 minutes, getting little sleep on their way to winning the Grand Prix of Endurance and a finish of ninth overall. A hundred years later, Latvian-based armored car manufacturer Dartz are celebrating the triumph by reliving the journey.Two golden Dartz Prombron vehicles have just set off from St. Petersburg as part of the special challenge named the Dartz Century Run; and their progress can be followed on the Dartz Century Run Facebook page.Another team in a Silver Dartz Prombron is also competing in the Africa Eco Race that ends in Dakar on 8 January.Photos courtesy of gtspirit.