While drag races are fun, they only showcase a car’s straight-line acceleration. The chassis is just as, if not more, important for a sports car, and what better way to test that than with a multi-lap circuit race? YouTube channel Jack Kello is currently hoarding a collection of Best Motoring’s multi-car showdowns, held at Tsukuba circuit, in Japan. This time, it is Germany vs Japan, as the best cars from the early 2000s battle it out, over a five-lap race.

Grid layout

To make things as fair as possible, the cars have participated in a time attack gauntlet, with the slowest car taking pole position and the quickest, starting from the back of the pack. The grid lineup is as follows: Porsche 996 Carrera (1:13.43), Subaru Impreza WRX STI (1:13.0), Mazda RX-7 Type RS (1:12.99), BMW M3 E46 (1:12.80), Honda NSX Type-S (1:12.67), Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution VII GSR (1:11.94), and Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 V Spec II (1:10.88).

Race conditions

Tsukuba Circuit is a technical, but short track, featuring 14 corners and measuring 2.045 miles (3.29 km), in its most common layout. The conditions are rainy, which should give the full-time all-wheel-drive cars (Evo and Impreza) an even bigger advantage.

Performance

The Porsche 996 Carrera’s 3.4-liter flat-six is good for 300 horsepower and 258 pound-feet (350 Nm). The Subaru, Mazda, and Mitsubishi all come with 276 horsepower and peak torque of 275 pound-feet (372 Nm), 232 pound-feet (314 Nm), and 282 pound-feet (382 Nm), respectively. However, both the Lancer Evolution and Impreza STI come with full-time all-wheel drive, unlike all the rest.

With 343 horsepower and 269 pound-feet (365 Nm), the BMW M3 E46 has the most power of the bunch. However, the Nissan Skyline GT-R R34 has the most torque, at 289 pound-feet (392 Nm), and can send power to the front wheels, whenever needed. Its 276-horsepower figure is also at the wheels, which translates to 327 crankshaft horsepower.

The Honda NSX Type S comes with 290 horsepower, 224 pound-feet (304 Nm), a mid-engine layout, great aerodynamics, and less weight than most other cars, except the Mazda RX-7 Type RS. All seven contenders are capable of a 0 to 60 mph (97 km/h) time of under 5.0 seconds.

The Race

Lap one showcases the amazing performance of the Nissan and Mitsubishi. By the third corner, the Lancer is already in first position, while the GT-R manages to overtake the rotary Mazda and the Subaru. The Honda NSX also manages to overtake the Subaru, securing fourth position, behind the M3. The European contenders are quicker than the Evolution, in a straight line, but lag behind in the corners. The BMW M3 also has trouble putting the power down, on corner exists, compared to the rear-engine 911.

Lap two sees the GT-R move up another position, overtaking the NSX Type-S, which is driven by the Drift King, Keiichi Tsuchiya, himself.

Lap three sees the GT-R overtaking the BMW M3, securing third position. Meanwhile, the Subaru Impreza understeers into sixth position while the RX-7 oversteers.

Lap four sees the Drift King-driven NSX make a move on the BMW M3, successfully recurring third place. Meanwhile, the Skyline makes a move on the Porsche, but the 911’s driver does a good job at keeping Godzilla at bait, even pressuring the GT-R driver into miss-shifting.

Lap five sees the Subaru Impreza STI taking fourth place from the M3, by outbraking it. At the last corner, the Nissan Skyline GT-R finally sees an opening and overtakes the Prosche. Sadly, for the GT-R, the Evolution VII snuck ahead too early, allowing it to increase the gap. The race just wasn’t long enough for the GT-R to close in on the Lancer Evolution.

Race Results

In the end, the rally-bred warrior from Mitsubishi braves the rainy conditions and finishes first, with an overall time of 6:01.91 minutes. Second place is for the mighty Godzilla, with a time of 6:05.60. Third place: Porsche 911 Carrera – 6:05.84. Fourth place: Honda NSX Type-S – 6:09.46. Fifth place: Subaru Impreza WRX STI: 6:10.38. Sixth place: BMW M3 E46 – 6:10.70, and seventh place: Mazda RX-7 Type RS – 6:11.30.