Acura NSX Type S Drags a Ninja, Can the American Samurai Cope With a Track Master?

It's something they like to call an 'u-drag,' which is a "race to there and back," meaning they do a standing quarter mile, brake as hard as possible past the finish marker, turn as tightly as possible with as many Gs as the cars can handle, and then roar back to the initial point via a rolling drag race to see who comes up on top. Only that every now and then, they also like to 'shake and bake' things up.

So, on this occasion, it's not two cars competing. Instead, it's the old trick of car versus motorcycle. Not just every car and not just any motorcycle, though. This episode of the series "of down-and-back drag races that incorporate a standing quarter mile, handling, and a rolling start all in one" features a hybrid supercar duking it out with a supersport bike. So, let's meet the contestants.

The second-generation Acura NSX, a model produced by Honda America at the Performance Manufacturing Center in Marysville, Ohio, occupies the car lane. For 2022, as they marked the nameplate's final year of production for the second iteration, they also made the limited-production NSX Type S with an enhanced combined max output of 602 hp and 492 lb-ft (667 Nm) of torque. That's the one on the unprepped tarmac.

In the bike lane sits a motorcycle that is like a master for the American samurai – a Kawasaki Ninja H2, which is a supercharged four-stroke super sport-class model in the Ninja series. Even worse for the 2022 Acura NSX Type S, which costs, according to Edmunds, no less than $171,495 (with destination), this Ninja is the H2R version, the track-only variant, and probably the fastest and most powerful production motorcycle on the market, with over 305 horsepower sent to the rear wheel and a nasty tendency to lift the front one as high in the air as possible!

It also costs a lot by motorcycle standards – over $58k! So, the gist is simple – the Acura has the advantage of starting on a loose surface because of AWD, but once the motorcycle puts down its front wheel, it's like a rocket. Then, at the turn, it's the NSX again taking more Gs when cornering and then hoping it has put enough distance between it and the motorcycle to cross the finish line first.

Well, that might have worked the first time, as the motorcycle driver struggled to adapt to the bike's tendency to act mercilessly like a wild warrior. However, the second and third races were a show of force for the Ninja H2R and its maddening sound, plus incredible top speeds! In the end, probably everyone knew the bike would win, though the Acura did put up a good fight – and next up, they are going to see if the Kawasaki can still hold its own against the German king of sports cars, the legendary 911.

If I were a betting man, which I'm not, I would probably wager on the H2R again – the level of skill presented by the rider was equally astonishing when combined with the performance displayed by the mighty Ninja.