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F1
Who wins a drag race between F1, MotoGP™, Rally, WRC and Electric Supervan?
A top line-up of drivers and riders face off in a drag race to end all drag races. Learn who’s quickest in a straight line out of MotoGP™, Rally, WRC and Electric Supervans!
By Paul Keith
3 min readPublished on
If you challenged an F1 car, MotoGP™ bike, rallycross car, WRC car and an electric vehicle, the Ford SuperVan 4.2, to a drag race, who do you think would win? The Ultimate Race reveals which vehicle has the quickest straight-line speed over a quarter-mile drag strip at a remote airfield location.
It's not an easy one to call. As everyone knows, Formula One cars are the fastest on four wheels, but are they quicker than a MotoGP™ bike? Modern WRC cars are quick, too, while World Rallycross cars are specifically built for short sprints. And don't write off the Ford SuperVan 4.2 – they're direct drive and very quick off the mark.
01

Who's competing in the ultimate drag race?

Piloting the vehicles are the cream of international motorsport. F1’s newest driver and Red Bull Racing test driver Liam Lawson is at the wheel of the World Championship-winning RB8, while MotoGP™ race-winner and Red Bull KTM Factory Racing development rider Dani Pedrosa takes the RC16
WRX champion Timmy Hansen piloted his Team Peugeot-Hansen 208 rallycross car and WRC star Adrien Fourmaux is in a Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1. Finally, as a wildcard, legendary Le Mans-winner Romain Dumas is in a Ford SuperVan 4.2, an all-electric beast that he took to the top of the 2023 Pikes Peak Hill Climb.
02

The vehicles and the stats you need to know

Vehicle
Engine
Output
Weight
Red Bull Racing RB8
Renault RS27 2.4 V8
850hp
640kg
Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16
1,000cc
270hp
160kg
Peugeot 208 RX1e
1,000cc Turbo
500kW (680bhp)
1300kg
M-Sport Ford Puma Hybrid Rally1
1.6lt Ecoboost Hybrid Turbo + 100 kW electric motor
550hp
1260kg
Ford SuperVan 4.2
50kWh battery powering three x STARD UHP 6-phase motors
2,000 hp (1,500 kW)
1680kg
03

Who won the Ultimate Race?

Lawson congratulates Pedrosa on his win © Alex Carmichael/Carwow/Red Bull Content Pool
Race
P1
P2
1
MotoGP™
F1
2
MotoGP™
F1
3
MotoGP™
Ford Supervan
Over the 400m distance, no one could beat the mighty Pedrosa and his Red Bull KTM Factory Racing RC16. The Spaniard has put in the hard yards developing the KTMs to transform the revolutionary steel-framed bikes into race-winners. He was followed home closely by Lawson in the RB8 in the opening two rounds, but the real shock was the all-out electric power of the Ford Supervan 4.2 beating the F1 car by 0.1 sec in the final heat.
According to Pedrosa, he had even more power in his right hand, but needed to moderate it to make sure his tyre had maximum grip. This gave him the fastest-possible getaway on the slippery surface. “It was tricky at first not to use too much power so I could get the best traction,” said the winner of 31 MotoGP™ races.
Watch the race below!
Part of this story

Dani Pedrosa

One of the great MotoGP™ riders of the modern era, Dani Pedrosa retired in 2018 after an illustrious career that included 31 wins and 112 podiums.

SpainSpain

Adrien Fourmaux

France’s rising rally star, Adrien Fourmaux, has enjoyed early World Rally Championship success and is all set for further glory.

FranceFrance

Liam Lawson

New Zealand's Liam Lawson’s rise through the ranks of motorsport has brought him to his childhood dream – a place on the Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 team.

New ZealandNew Zealand

Timmy Hansen

Born into a rallycross family, Timmy Hansen has gone on to establish himself as a master of the discipline in his own right.

SwedenSweden
F1
Red Bull Motorsports
MotoGP
WRC
Rallycross
Motoring
Formula Racing
Motorbike Road Racing
Rally
Offroad

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