FanHouse - AOL Sports Blog

One of the world's most grueling race events faced a challenge too steep to beat.

The Dakar Rally, held annually in Africa, was canceled just a day before it was set to begin due to fears stemming from recent terrorist attacks and threats in the west African country of Mauritania. Details of recent events include:

France, where the race organizers are based, had urged the rally to avoid Mauritania after the four family members were killed in an attack blamed on a terror cell that uses the Mauritanian desert as a hideout.

Officials say the cell is linked to the Algeria-based al-Qaida in Islamic North Africa, which has claimed responsibility for a series of deadly attacks, including the Dec. 11 twin suicide bombings at U.N. offices and a government building in Algiers, which killed at least 37 people.

Normally, terrorism and politics don't find their way to the pages of the Fanhouse, but without a doubt, the cancellation of Dakar is a big, big deal for international racing and NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Robby Gordon.

Apparently, the foreign minister of Mauritania is none too pleased with the decision -- the event brings a ton of coverage and money to the country -- and thinks organizers got cold feet too easily.

The international motorsports world has been rocked by the death of one its most popular stars.

Colin McRae, the 1995 World Rally Championship Driver of the Year, is reported dead after helicopter owned by the racer crashed within a mile of his home, according to Scotsman.com.

The Twin Squirrel helicopter registered to the former world champion rally driver came down shortly after 4pm yesterday about 200 yards from his 17th-century mansion.

Police sources said the blue helicopter used by the 39-year-old multi-millionaire had exploded in a "fireball".

Eyewitness David Lowry, who lives nearby, said he watched as the helicopter plunged into a valley.

As many as four people are thought to have died in the crash. Jean-Eric Freudiger, McRae's agent, confirmed McRae had been piloting the helicopter.

Aside from McRae, one victim rumored dead in the incident was McRae's son. The driver was married to wife Allison and together they had two children, Jimmy and Hollie.

McRae likely gained his most fame in the United States after an incident in the 2006 Summer X-games. McRae lost the inaugural rally event in the Games after flipping his car (about 2:18) with just two corners to go. He would also roll his car again in the 2007 event.

Rumors had briefly circulated that McRae could run a few NASCAR events but no specific announcement was ever made. Read more about McRae's impressive career on his Wikipedia page.

R.I.P. Mr. McRae.

Bad finishes are what Youtube is made for, but we thought we'd found the worst finish ever in the last leg of the 1998 Amstel, where poor Scott Sunderland nearly gets eaten by oncoming traffic after getting sideswiped and knocked onto the pavement in a freak crash it took a year to fully recover from completely. (With all seriousness, please watch with discretion. As someone who's taken a pair of life-threatening spills on two-wheeled transportation, it gave us a sickening chill just watching it.)

This video's a much worse and better bad finish at the same time, but for very different reason. (Watch freely, no stomach-churning injuries...unless you count ego and one poor, unfortunate original Volkswagen Bug.)

So much to like: the cocky wave, the Z-list wacky narration, the sudden and oddly satisfying twitch of the entire car into the wall, the desultory toss of the helmet at the end, the fact that they're daring to race VW Bugs without falling out of their vehicles with laughter. But the greatest fact of all is that he crashes just twenty feet shy of the start/finish line, and likely could have finished fourth or fifth had he been able to push the car across the line.

Had he accomplished that, Clint Boyer would have been so, so proud of him.