Reverse racing

[dreadnaut]

Yes, it was a thing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLgPTJWAysY

[JTK]

  Waaaaahahahahaaaa, this is hilarious!!!

[Cas]

Wow!  Ha, ha!  I imagine these guys' necks and backs after the race, poor them! XD

[Overdrijf]

The reason this was ever a thing was the variomatic transmission in these cars. One side effect of the technology is that the car can reach all the same gear ratio's in reverse that it can going forward, and is thus just as fast going backwards. Well, just as slow anyway...

Basically it's anti-Stunts.

[dreadnaut]

Oh, that's very interesting. It's the same system that evolved to become the transmission used in small scooters.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Variomatic

[afullo]

My 50cc moped had continuous variable transmission, but not reverse gear...

[GTAManRCR]

Think positive, afullo
While going reverse, you can watch the road only forward, so it's better not to drive in reverse, because you can occur damage in your car, in your health, you can endanger other's car/health, which counts as crime

[afullo]

You don't count the fact that I want to do some crime, because I aspire to start a career in rap as a bad boy. 

[Shoegazing Leo]

In Argentina, Reverse Racing is called Independiente.

[Overdrijf]

In Dutch we call it "roeien".

[Duplode]

The reason this was ever a thing was the variomatic transmission in these cars. One side effect of the technology is that the car can reach all the same gear ratio's in reverse that it can going forward, and is thus just as fast going backwards. Well, just as slow anyway...

Wait, so the cars in the video at the beginning of the thread are all DAFs? Wonderful! 

[Overdrijf]

The reason this was ever a thing was the variomatic transmission in these cars. One side effect of the technology is that the car can reach all the same gear ratio's in reverse that it can going forward, and is thus just as fast going backwards. Well, just as slow anyway...

Wait, so the cars in the video at the beginning of the thread are all DAFs? Wonderful! 

Yup. This race was organized as part of a show called "Te land, ter zee en in de lucht", which means something like "Over land, through the sea and into the skies". By the time I was watching television it was a pretty wholesome television show where candidates would bring a homemade contraption to tackle some sort of short obstscle course, with them cycling through a bunch of different courses, one per episode. The contenders are often people who also build carnaval floats and such, so they will show up in beautiful creations with no chance of being the fastest to the bell, which is usually the official objective. Note the present tense there, they still occasionally make episodes today, the show is a cultural landmark at this point. But the program started out pretty hardcore. One of the courses they no longer use is a big tower you're supposed to jump off with your contraption, and the winner is the one with the most flight time. The tower is in a lake, but still. The DAF reverse racing is also not scheduled anymore. Back then they were cheap little cars, and while I personally can't imagine ever having enough money that I'll voluntarily crash my car like that, at least they were pretty replacable at the time. Now they're all oldtimers and nobody would do this. Also the race would be an insurance and court case nightmare today, even with signed waivers.

When I get to the computer I'm going to edit in some pictures and some video links. It might be better to see these things than to read about them.

The flying event:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJIh2ueC7uk

Another early event: caravan racing. Unlike on Top Gear, these are not professionals:
https://youtu.be/S7ipFApsFec?si=nvBUQeLke3cGYg5L&t=205

Tobbedansen, one of the events that did stand the test of time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_OyAovxJQ0g

And of course the ancient Dutch sport of riding your bike into a canal:
https://youtu.be/3PclbivYZ6c?si=i06067vNGMYv4Jrv&t=42

And finally some Dutch carnaval floats to give an idea what those are like. It's not South American style, but in our defense: it can get pretty cold here in February:
https://youtu.be/46O10Oq4djA?si=2HpathzippKt1vdq&t=2675

[Chulk]

This

In Argentina, Reverse Racing is called Independiente.

     
Alan probably hates it

[Duplode]

Another early event: caravan racing. Unlike on Top Gear, these are not professionals:
https://youtu.be/S7ipFApsFec?si=nvBUQeLke3cGYg5L&t=205

Sensational action! 

The flying event:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJIh2ueC7uk

That's a bold magic carpet over water at 2:28; too bad the landing angle was a little too acute.