Watch Skoda's Mikkelsen get quizzed while running a rally stage

If there's one trait all motorsports drivers have, it's an excellent ability to multitask. Sure, the pilots need to be able to keep an eye on the course and keep their vehicles pointed in the right direction. But that's not all.

Drivers also need to be in constant contact with either a navigator, a spotter or a pit chief while simultaneously making sure their car doesn't go supernova on the course. Skoda recently put driver Andreas Mikkelsen's multitasking skills to the test by giving him a pop quiz while he was slinging his IRC rally car around the Millbrook race track.

With questions covering topics ranging from rally history to import/export trivia, Mikkelson had his work cut out for him, but he handles the rapid-fire Q&A like a champ. Well, except for that question about Ukrainian pork. You can check out the video for yourself below.

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Watch NASCAR's last-lap crash at Talladega that took out 25 cars

Say what you will about NASCAR, but there's no denying that the race series remains a spectacle. Look no further than the last two laps at Talladega this past weekend as evidence. The final restart of the race saw Matt Kenseth at the head of the pack, but Tony Stewart managed to take the lead just before the white flag fell thanks to a push from Sam Hornish. But as the pack came out of Turn 3, Stewart dropped low to attempt to gain yet another push, snagging the rear of his car on the nose of Michael Waltrip's machine.

The contact sent Stewart spinning into the pack, now four-wide behind him, and the resulting collision soaked up just about everyone on the field. Kenseth, meanwhile, escaped the fray and took the checkered flag for the win. Check out the destruction in the video below.

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Honda debuts production Dakar Racer CRF450 Rally

The Dakar Rally Raid is a spectacle unlike anything else in motorsports. With a course that tracks its way through some of the most unforgiving and forgotten areas in South America, the event is challenging enough for those who tackle the race on four wheels. The guys who make for the dunes on motorcycles, however, are simply our kind of insane.

Honda has chosen to honor this year's factory team with a production version of the race bike. The CRF450 Rally debuted at the 2012 International Motorcycle, Scooter and Bike Fair in Cologne, Germany, and is based on the standard CRF450.

Honda swapped in programmable fuel injection in place of the old carbs, bumped up the total fuel capacity and incorporated a new navigation system. Engineers also worked in new changes to both the chassis and bodywork to increase durability and protect the drivetrain from damage. Honda will first test the CRF450 Rally in the Morocco Rally later this month before putting it to task in the Dakar Rally in January. Take a look at the full press release below for more information.

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Watch Petrolicious beautifully profile the Targa California

In terms of classic car rallies, the Targa California is a fairly young event. In it's fourth running, the event is a NASA-sanctioned, non-competitive rally that features classic machinery from 1975 and earlier on a jaunt through some of central California's most beautiful countryside. The three-day event is open to any make and model, right down to vintage pickups, so this is our kind of party. The crew from Petrolicious Productions captured this year's batch of drivers as they wound through the dirt roads and rolling coastline.

The five-minute clip is loaded to the brim with beautiful machinery, from BMW 2002 racers to classic Porsche 911 and 914 models, as well as more than a few Jaguar E-Type and Alfa Romeo participants. From the looks of things, if it's cool, it's in the Targa California. With excellent camerawork and plenty of drool-worthy tin, the video is well worth your time. Check it out below. You can also head over to the Targa California site for more information.

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2012 Japanese Grand Prix sees some drivers make their points, one makes a huge 25 [spoilers]

Even though the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix wasn't an especially exciting race, it involved "destiny" and resurrection, chanting, and a "nutcase" as some drivers tried to make their impression on the Formula 1 World Championship standings this year, while other tried to make cases for retention to their teams for next year.

Unlike the Singapore Grand Prix when the grid managed to make it through the first corner without colliding into one another save for the two Caterhams kissing each other at the back Suzuka's right-hand turn number one saw some heavy hitters getting hit heavily. The first one of them would be driving a Ferrari...

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Petter Solberg crashes through vineyard, into utility pole at French WRC event

If one absolutely must crash out of professional rally event, one might as well do it with style. At least that seems to be Petter Solberg's philosophy. The Norwegian rally driver bowed out of the Rally of France Alsace on Saturday when he left the course, drove through a vineyard, rejoined the course briefly, drove through a second vineyard and struck a power pole. As if that weren't bizarre enough, the impact sent the pole crashing to the ground, narrowly missing spectators and sending power lines arcing across parked vehicles in the area.

Solberg started the day in fourth place overall, but ended his bout for the podium on the first stage. Fortunately, no injuries were reported as a result of the off. You can take a closer look at the scene in the video below. Trust us, you'll want to watch this one a few times.

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Think Rally and Rallycross are similar? Ken Block's car begs to differ

If you've ever wondered about the "hybrid" in Ken Block's Ford Fiesta H.F.H.V. (Hybrid Function Hoon Vehicle), then this video is definitely worth watching. After winning the Olympus Rally near Shelton, Washington, Block's Fiesta headed to Las Vegas for the fifth round of Global Rallycross (GRC). The same car is used in both racing series. As you'd imagine, racing on narrow dirt back roads Washington is very different than running on the mostly paved course at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Aside from the chassis and most of the body components, the Ford Fiesta that raced on Sunday September 23 is almost completely different from the car that practiced on Thursday September 26. The entire powertrain gets swapped in favor of a setup making over 600 horsepower, and the front-mounted radiator is moved aft for the GRC event. To ensure proper air flow to it, different side vents and a vented liftgate are installed. The GRC car also gets bigger brakes and the proper wheel/tire combo. After three days of disassembly and reassembly, this Fiesta is ready for Rallycross.

Sure, it'd probably be easier to just have a second, dedicated GRC car, but where's the fun in that? Scroll down to watch the video of what it takes to transform Block's Fiesta from a gravel-spewing Rally America car to a ramp-jumping Global Rallycross car.

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