From the bucolic charm of West Sussex to the barren hostility of the Atacama desert, top-level motorsport plies its trade in some of the most challenging locations on the planet.
The tests, it must be said, are rarely the same, and it is difficult to decide which is more barmy: Formula 1 drivers threading their 700bhp single-seaters through the Monaco crash barriers or rally stars steering their cars at 90mph with judicious use of the snowbanks along Swedish roads.
As well as the spectacle, there are the heart-warming stories; Brazilian veteran Tony Kanaan wiping away the tears after securing his first Indianapolis 500 win at the 12th time of asking, or rally legend Sébastien Loeb stunning the world with his scintillating pace up the Pikes Peak hillclimb in Colorado.
Here’s Autocar’s selection of some of the best motorsport images of another action-packed year on the race circuits and special stages.
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Wouldn't want to pick the winning photo