The bare requirements for a drag race are two cars, two drivers, a long-enough stretch of asphalt (though, depending on the type of vehicles, you could have one over unpaved terrain), and a way to mark the start and the finish. Anything beyond this is a bonus.
Well, the scenario of this quick series of drag races couldn't be much further from what we just described. For one thing, it takes place on a generic aerodrome airstrip, but the surrounding settings are just gorgeous, and the weather tends to hold up its end of the bargain.
Then there are the three cars involved. We've got two of the most exciting Porsches - albeit the older 991.2 versions, but still great machines -, the 911 GT3 RS and the 911 Turbo S, as well as the best Mercedes-AMG GT version this side of a Black Series - the R.
The winner is not exactly a mystery. Being the only all-wheel-drive car in the lineup and packing more power than the GT3 RS, unless the driver forgets to release the handbrake or something, the Turbo S is guaranteed to win it every single time. But how about second place?
Well, on paper, the AMG seems to be the favorite. The GT3 RS' 4.0-liter naturally aspirated flat-six is no match to the GT R's 4.0-liter twin-turbocharged V8, with the latter making 85 horsepower and 177 lb-ft (240 Nm) of torque more. Sure enough, it's also a heftier car, but experience tells us that beyond a certain level of power, the extra pounds don't tend to matter that much.
What does matter, however, is traction, and the 911 GT3 RS seems to have it in abundance. It sets off with a lot more aplomb than the AMG, leaving the GT R to play catch up for almost the entire length of the race. The Porsche wins the first head-to-head races against the Merc, but there's not much in it. Besides, the GPS measuring device doesn't account for reaction times, whereas to the naked eye, it might give the impression of a greater gap.
The second race is the perfect example: the GT3 RS is the first to cross the line, yet its time was worse than the AMG GT R's by 0.02 seconds. The runs of the Mercedes-AMG get better and better, presumably thanks to the tires warming up, but after four races, the 911 Turbo S jumps in and it's game over for everyone else.
As the footage suggests, the Mercedes-AMG GT R was the slowest to 62 mph (100 kph) with 3.55 seconds, with the GT3 RS at a not so distant 3.44 seconds. The Turbo S, however, dropped into the twos with a 2.83 second time. As for the quarter mile, the first two were once again evenly matched with best runs of 11.33 seconds for the Mercedes and 11.37 seconds for the track-focused 911, while the Turbo S won it comfortably with 10.55 seconds.
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