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750-HP Audi RS6 Drag Races McLaren 570S, a 200-HP Aprilia RSV4 Bike Shows Up

Considering how relatively easy it is to do a drag race—the minimum you need is two cars, two drivers, a long enough stretch of traffic-free asphalt, and if you want to share it the rest of the world, at least one camera—it's no surprise we've seen pretty much any possible configuration so far.
Tuned Audi RS6 vs McLaren 570S + tuned Aprilia RSV4 superbike drag race 10 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Tuned Audi RS6 vs McLaren 570S + tuned Aprilia RSV4 superbike drag raceTuned Audi RS6 vs McLaren 570S + tuned Aprilia RSV4 superbike drag raceTuned Audi RS6 vs McLaren 570S + tuned Aprilia RSV4 superbike drag raceTuned Audi RS6 vs McLaren 570S + tuned Aprilia RSV4 superbike drag raceTuned Audi RS6 vs McLaren 570S + tuned Aprilia RSV4 superbike drag raceTuned Audi RS6 vs McLaren 570S + tuned Aprilia RSV4 superbike drag raceTuned Audi RS6 vs McLaren 570S + tuned Aprilia RSV4 superbike drag raceTuned Audi RS6 vs McLaren 570S + tuned Aprilia RSV4 superbike drag raceTuned Audi RS6 vs McLaren 570S + tuned Aprilia RSV4 superbike drag race
You can't even place the blame on the internet for crazy matchups. If you think about it, even Top Gear raced a Bugatti Veyron versus a military jet, and it's very likely there were other unconventional lineups we're not aware of even before that.

While drag racing has been a pretty big thing in the States for a long while, it's precisely this reduced logistics effort combined with the rise of automotive-related YouTube channels that have made it a global phenomenon. As a result, most manufacturers are paying a lot more attention to their vehicles' quarter-mile times, especially when it comes to performance-oriented models.

Considering it puts a significant shift both as a family car and supercar rival, it's hard to limit the description of an Audi RS6 to just "performance car." However, when the owner went through the trouble of pushing the 4.0-liter V8 engine under the wagon's hood to 900 hp, it's clear which of the two sides of the coin he chose to focus on.

Sadly, due to some boost pressure issues, the RS6 is stuck in "low boost" mode, meaning it only produces roughly 750 hp. However, that's still a lot more than its opponent, whose power output of 570 (in PS) is actually an anagram (if you can say that about a number) of the RS6's. In horsepower, that would be 562.

Of course, even when only going straight, it takes a lot more than just brute power to win it. You have to account for weight as well, and the best way to do that is to calculate a vehicle's power-to-weight ratio. Well, believe it or not, these two are evenly matched. Not closely matched, but an actual perfect match at 384 hp per ton each.

Where they do differ is in the way they make use of that power. The Audi notoriously sends it to all four wheels through the well-known quattro all-wheel-drive system, while the McLarens equally notoriously manage to rip the track open using rear-wheel-drive only.

Well, the first two runs (the individual 0-60 mph and quarter-mile benchmarks) suggested the AWD and the extra power were enough to give the Audi the edge. Unfortunately, each of the two passes ended with a bit of damage to the car after first losing one of its exhaust mufflers and then bursting a boost hose. The second proved to be fatal, so the contest was won by the McLaren 570S by forfeit.

This would have been quite an anti-climactic end, but fortunately, a tuned superbike just happened to be roaming around (nor really), ready for a race. It was a 200-hp Aprilia RSV4, nonetheless, with a power-to-weight ratio of over 1,000 hp per ton. It should prove a worthy adversary for the McLaren, provided they can sort out the start.

Objectively speaking, a rolling race was the only way this was ever going to be a fair fight, so that's what they went for—twice. Considering how bumpy that surface looks, the guy on the RSV4 deserves a lot of credit for even touching that throttle, not to mention giving it the spanking he did.

Yes, we've seen most car versus car drag races possible, but throw a bike in there, and things immediately get a lot more interesting.

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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