The good people at ‘Edmunds’ have another U-drag race for us. This time, it’s the Chevy C8 Corvette going up against the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing. It is generally easy to predict which car’s going to win depending on what kind of race they are taking part in; whether roll or standing drag races. But, in this interesting format, the cars go through drag and roll tests in one shot, and even the braking and handling aspects come into play. Makes it exciting, doesn’t it?

What’s A U-Drag Race?

In case you’re unaware of this format and missed the previous U-Drag race we covered recently, here’s a brief. A U-Drag race basically includes a drag race and roll race in one. Cars start from a dig, sprint to the cone placed at the quarter-mile distance, brake hard to make a U-turn around another cone placed a little ahead, and then sprint back to the finish line (or, back to the start line, if you’re more comfortable with that). This way, you can gauge a car’s performance from a dig, from a roll, how well it brakes, and how many lateral Gs it produces while taking the U-turn.

Edmunds conducts two races, with both the drivers getting a shot each at the cars. Even the lanes are swapped to make sure it’s a level playing field. This way, you do get to know which car actually trumps the other in all fields considered and aren’t just one-trick ponies.

How Do The Cars Fare Against Each Other?

Power is routed to the rear wheels exclusively via a six-speed manual gearbox. It tips the scales at 4,152 pounds.

The mill is mated to an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox. This particular example is fitted with the Z51 package as well. It is significantly lighter than the CT5-V Blackwing, weighing in at 3,649 pounds.

The Races Were Closer Than Expected

You’ve got one car that makes over 150 horsepower less, but it also weighs 500 pounds lighter. Also, it is automatic, while its rival is manual. Naturally, you’d expect the lighter car – the Corvette – to be quick off the line, but in a roll, you the Cadillac would have the edge. So, when you combined the two, you know it’s going to be close. But, how close? Well, “won by the nose” would be an exaggeration. Yeah, that close!

The first race kicked off as expected. The Corvette got the lead off the line and stayed ahead till the quarter-mile mark. Both the cars made good turns as well, although the Corvette could’ve probably done a little better, I suppose. It managed to sprint better and stay ahead even when the cars got back on track.

However, the Cadillac started gaining on the Corvette and got mighty close by the end for a photo finish! The result wasn’t immediately declared and they lined up for the second round. Unsurprisingly, the second race went down EXACTLY like the first, including the finish! This, despite different drivers and different lanes. Phew!

Unbelievable Results

The team had to review the tapes to find out the winner. We’ve decoded the race already, so we’ll stick to the times here. Both the cars finished the first race in 31.4 seconds. They were so close that the team couldn’t even decide which car had its nose ahead! The Corvette recorded a trap speed of 129.3 mph, whereas the Cadillac finished at 135.2 mph. The Corvette put down 1.09 lateral Gs in the first round.

In the second race, things were a tad bit clearer. The Cadillac won this round, finishing the race in 31.9 seconds at 135.1 mph. The Corvette took 32 seconds at 128.4 mph. It was the Caddy that put down more lateral Gs – 1.08 – in this race.

Conclusion

How often do you see a tie in a race that’s lasted for over 30 seconds? Well, that’s the beauty of U-drag races. What do you think of this format and the race? Share them with us in the comments section below.