autoevolution
 

Porsche 918 Spyder Drag Races MotoGP Bike, You Know What's Going to Happen

In competitive quarter-mile (402 meters) drag racing, each car will be assigned to a certain class before the start. That way, things will be somewhat balanced when two vehicles line up for a race. But outside of an official challenge, you can opt to forget about classes. That way, you can end up with some pretty crazy duels. Just think about it, when's the last time you saw a MotoGP bike going up against a street-going machine?
Porsche 918 Spyder Drag Races MotoGP Bike, You Know What's Going to Happen 10 photos
Photo: Carwow
Porsche 918 Spyder Drag Races MotoGP Bike, You Know What's Going to HappenPorsche 918 Spyder Drag Races MotoGP Bike, You Know What's Going to HappenPorsche 918 Spyder Drag Races MotoGP Bike, You Know What's Going to HappenPorsche 918 Spyder Drag Races MotoGP Bike, You Know What's Going to HappenPorsche 918 Spyder Drag Races MotoGP Bike, You Know What's Going to HappenPorsche 918 Spyder Drag Races MotoGP Bike, You Know What's Going to HappenPorsche 918 Spyder Drag Races MotoGP Bike, You Know What's Going to HappenPorsche 918 Spyder Drag Races MotoGP Bike, You Know What's Going to HappenPorsche 918 Spyder Drag Races MotoGP Bike, You Know What's Going to Happen
It's not the first time we get to see a motorcycle going up against a car. While the results might vary from time to time, betting on the two-wheeler is still probably the smartest thing you can do. There are a few hypercars out there that can boast about having a power-to-weight ratio that's similar to a road-going bike.

But can you think of any street-legal car that even comes close to a MotoGP bike? Let's just look at the stats for a minute. Today's machine is the 2021 Red Bull Racing KTM RC16.

It's packing a 1,000 cc V4 engine that churns out a whopping 270 horsepower. While the bike weighs about 330 lbs (150 kg), the rider will add 121 lbs (55) kg to that figure. Speaking of which, Red Bull Racing has brought out an amazing rider for this challenge.

Introducing Dani Pedrosa - one of the most popular and successful MotoGP riders of all time! He took part in 218 races in the series, winning 31 of them and podiuming 112 times! The 36-year-old rider from Sabadell, Spain has unfortunately never been crowned champion but he did come close!

Porsche 918 Spyder Drag Races MotoGP Bike, You Know What's Going to Happen
Photo: Carwow
He finished in second place overall in 2007, 2010, and 2013. He also secured third overall in 2008, 2009, and 2013. And there were an additional four fourth-place results under his name before he retired in 2018.

He did get to experience the RC16 last year when he competed in the Styrian Grand Prix for the KTM Factory Racing team. Meanwhile, Mat Watson is going to be riding inside the Porsche 918 Spyder. Granted, this is a fairly quick car, but it doesn't feel like it can take on the MotoGP bike.

The 4.6-liter V8 does get an extra boost from the two electric motors, bringing performance figures up to 875 horsepower and 944 lb-ft (1,280 Nm) of torque. But you should remember that this thing weighs 3,690 lbs (1,674 kg). Both of these machines are quite expensive, although you can't just go out and buy an RC16 if you wanted to.

On the other hand, getting your hands on a 918 Spyder isn't necessarily easy either, and it might set you back as much as $2 million. But that's enough stats for today, let's have a look at the race.

Porsche 918 Spyder Drag Races MotoGP Bike, You Know What's Going to Happen
Photo: Carwow
Right off the bat, Dani Pedrosa is probably going to struggle with the track surface as it doesn't even come close to a MotoGP grade layout. Even so, he takes the lead from the start of the race and it's all downhill for the 918 Spyder from there. Having to deal with excessive wheelspin, the bike still wins every single run.

According to telemetry data, it needs 9.5 seconds to run the quarter-mile. Mat Watson was just 0.6 seconds slower to the finish line. Given these numbers, it's obvious that a Tesla Model S Plaid or a Rimac Nevera could be faster than the RC16 in this particular test.

The rolling race is up next, and there is only one possible outcome: victory for Dani Pedrosa. It's still exciting to watch, and the last run of the day almost ends up with a photo finish.

Sure, having the RC16 engage sixth gear at such a low speed is a good way to even the odds, but it was still not enough to put the Porsche in first. But you just know that the braking test will favor the car, especially given the poor grip levels on this section of the airfield.

If you liked the article, please follow us:  Google News icon Google News Youtube Instagram X (Twitter)
About the author: Dragos Chitulescu
Dragos Chitulescu profile photo

The things Dragos enjoys the most in life are, in no particular order: cars, motorcycles, diecast cars, and drifting. He's seen (and driven) many vehicles since he started his writing career back in 2009, but his garage currently houses a 1991 Mazda RX-7 FC3S Turbo II and a 1999 Suzuki SV650-S.
Full profile

 

Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?

You will only receive our top stories