Hard to believe he lost it in that first video, but then it's hard to get a sense of how fast they might have been going. Gotta suck rolling it in the weeds in any case.
I was watching a few other vids through that link - and it's crazy how they're going through residential streets and all it would take is some shmuck to run into that F150 parked in harms way...yet everyone seems to be driving slower and nicer than if it weren't a race. I take it sections of the race aren't really a race at all? Or how does Targa NFLD work? Definitely one of the grail things I need to do before I get old...so long as someone doesn't ruin it before I get there. Kinda like Car & Driver's One Lap of America...should do that too. And eating less...the list keeps getting bigger... 
There are some classes where it is basically a TSD rally. You have to maintain a brisk pace and not make mistakes, too fast or too slow and you lose. Most of the sections are indeed run as fast as you can/dare. But bust a wheel or have an off and you lose.
The exotics (Enzo, Lambo, etc.) were in a non-competing class that runs through first and isn't actually racing. With their hard suspension and lack of ground clearance they would be wrecked if they tried to go fast.... which is pretty much what happened to the Enzo.
BTW, some of the racers occasionally test out their cars by running autocrosses with my club.
