Codemasters has released the first gameplay video for DiRT: Showdown, an action-packed extension to its award-winning DiRT rally series that’s brimming with speed, style and demolition derby-esque thrills.

The ‘Crash and Burn’ video embedded below showcases work-in-progress in-game footage taken from the title’s 8 Ball event. The stage is a dirty, dusty figure-of-eight circuit in the sun-baked Nevada desert, where eight drivers trade paint and perform dangerous crossovers as they jostle for position before a screaming crowd. Nitrous-injected rides, pyrotechnics, stunts, destruction – it’s all here!

DiRT: Showdown will be unleashed on PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC in May this year, delivering a new world of competitive and combative racing via an exciting, chaotic world tour of motorised mayhem. For all the latest updates straight from the studio, race over to www.dirtgame.com, www.facebook.com/dirtgame, or follow the team on Twitter.