1,300-HP Corvette Drags 1,200-HP Camaro, Thank God They're Not Racing for Pink Slips

I saw several hundred cars going through that process during my recent drag racing adventure in Kiskunlachaza. There were plenty of fast Hondas, Audis, and even some Teslas onsite that put on a good show. But nothing compares to the cars in the Pro ET category. That's right; those are purpose-built vehicles that can do 8-second passes all day long. It's a good thing we had multiple cameras onsite to document the action.

We've shown you videos of a 3,000-hp Chevrolet Camaro, a world record-setting Volkswagen Golf, and several other fast cars in the past month. But plenty of action is left, so stick around if you also like to live your life 10 seconds or less at a time. Today, we're looking at one of the most incredible battles of that race weekend, and both cars have a Chevrolet badge on them. That might be the only resemblance to the factory versions, but that's racing for you. Before you look at this, let me walk you through the specs of both cars.

After you've finished watching the video, I'll tell you more about Oliver Petzold and his racing background, as I've already interviewed Mike Bruckmuller in a previous story. As a reminder, the Swiss driver is behind the wheel of a unique Chevrolet Camaro SS that initially left the factory in 1967. Under the hood of this thing, you'll find a 557 ci (9.1-liter) Merlin V8, good enough for almost 1,200 horsepower and 811 lb-ft (1,100 Nm) of torque.

Power goes to the rear wheels via a 2-Speed Powerglide gearbox. Mike's best result is an 8.17-second pass with a trap speed of 172 mph (278 kph). So let's see what he was up against. Oliver Petzold is a German drag racer that competes in a C5 Corvette Roadster. This car uses the same gearbox as the Camaro SS but has a 598 ci (9.8-liter) V8 rated for almost 1,300 horsepower. The C5 Roadster was initially built in the USA but made it over to Europe and the current owner in 2008.

Speaking of Oliver's best result so far, his personal best is an 8-second pass, which means the Corvette is theoretically faster than the Camaro. But at this level, you can never predict what will happen when the lights go green. So I'd recommend you watch the race instead.

Drag Race

During the weekend, Oliver and Mike faced each other three times! And on each occasion, the Swiss driver had the upper hand. Their first battle happened on Saturday. They were neck and neck throughout the track, but Oliver crossed the finish line 0.266 seconds later than Mike. The Camaro's top speed was also seven kph higher than the Corvette's. Things got even hotter for the second run, and you could barely tell who was in front for most of the race.

Ultimately, the Camaro SS was just 0.16 seconds faster than the C5 Roadster. The third run happened on Sunday, but the German driver was off to a bad start, and the result didn't do justice to any of the two cars. While the Camaro SS crossed the line in just over nine seconds, the Corvette was entirely off with an 11-second pass.

Getting to know Oliver Petzold

I was fascinated to see Oliver and his wife, Janine, racing together in Hungary. And both of them are really fast drivers, with seriously fast cars. If you doubt that drag racing can be a family sport, you might like to know that their 11-year-old daughter is also an active competitor. She drives a Junior Dragster, and her best 1/8-mile (201 meters) ET is 8.80 seconds with a trap speed of 75 mph (121 kph). We'll talk about Janine and her Mercedes in a future story, so let's focus on Oliver and the Corvette for now. As a youngster, he caught the racing bug as his dad had an American car repair shop. So it's no surprise that his first car was of North-American origin.

A Chrysler Saratoga is less impressive than his current machine, but it was his first choice at the time. Oliver has been an active drag racer since 2008 when he still drove a 1979 Chevrolet Camaro. Back then, he needed 13.4 seconds to run the quarter-mile, which shows his progress over the years. Before moving on to the Corvette, he experienced life behind the wheel of a 1977 Camaro and a Honda Prelude Dragster initially built in Scotland. Living with a fast car like the C5 isn't as easy as it sounds, so I asked which parts break the most often: "We probably need tires most of all. But we've also experienced some years with multiple transmission failures."

"This year we are struggling with the fueling, but we'll come up with a solution soon." Oliver plans to compete in three more events before the year ends, and his main goal is to set a 7. xx-pass for the first time. And while he hasn't planned anything for the future, he still dreams of racing in an FIA Pro Modified car one day. I also wanted to know his take on the sport's progression over the past decade." Drag racing has not lost its popularity; quite the opposite."

"Unfortunately, environmental policies have made things more complicated, especially in Germany. A drag race with electric cars is not an alternative for us and many others on the scene. What has become noticeable over the years is that more and more women have found pleasure in the sport and are very successful here in Europe, the USA, and Australia. Drag racing is not just a sport; it's a way of life!" If you want to see more of Mike's Camaro SS, I'll post the link to his feature video below. I will also include the link to our Dragsters Burnout compilation if you need another fix of quarter-mile action!