Tierp Arena [1] is Sweden’s home for motorsports; the all-concrete facility plays host to events from drag racing to touring car racing, and on this day, a battle between two American imports. We get a full view of the outstanding racing facility, thanks to the camera mounted on the rear of the bed of the Dodge 2500 diesel truck set to line up on the racetrack. And in the other lane is a tricked-out Z06 Corvette, waiting to lay the smack down on the truck’s owner.
According to the video poster, the 5.9L Cummins diesel wears a pair of turbos and cranks out 760 horsepower to the Z06’s 590 horsepower – but on the dragstrip, the difference in weight should equal out the performance advantage held by the truck.
[2]We say “should,” because on the first hit, the truck rockets out to what appears to be a pretty healthy advantage. It’s not until just before the 660-foot mark that we see the Corvette enter the frame, but shortly after, the ‘Vette takes the advantage and pulls out in front, crossing the finish line first with a 12.16 at 160 km/h terminal speed.
On the second run, traction appears to be an issue for both racers, as the ‘Vette slows to a 12.39 hit – but this time, the ‘Vette gains the advantage right off the starting line and maintains that through the finish, even accelerating away as the big meats grab the track more quickly than the truck’s slippery skins.
The drag racing example in this instance just goes to show that horsepower is not the be-all end all of on-track performance, despite the truck holding 170 horsepower in reserve. It still comes down to the power-to-weight ratio, amount of available traction, and the skills of the driver to take advantage of said hook.