Drag and roll race videos are all the rage in the present day. But, the good folks at Edmunds have come up with a unique way to make them all the more interesting. The method adopted by them inculcates the madness of a drag race, the excitement of a roll race, and shows us how good the cars’ driving dynamics are, all in one race! The contenders for this fun race were two powerful American-bred cars – the Cadillac CT5-V Blackwing and the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500. Which car do you think will be able to prove its all-around worthiness?
What Are The Cars Powered By?
What’s Special About This New Race Method?
We know that some cars do well from the dig, and some perform better with a rolling start. But, how about combining them both in the same race to see who does well overall? That’s exactly what Edmunds has done and we’re impressed. Called the U-Drag Race, the cars start from the dig, sprint the quarter-mile distance, take a U-Turn, and rush back to the starting line. This is similar to the pink slip race from 2 Fast 2 Furious where Brian and Roman win Korpi and Darden’s 1969 Yenko Camaro and 1970 Dodge Challenge R/T. Ah, good times. And, look what the Fast and Furious franchise has become now. Anyway, I digress.
How Did They Fare In The Races?
Both the cars were driven by experienced drivers and they managed to make the best of the cold conditions. They raced each other twice, with both the drivers getting a shot at both the cars. The cars even switched lanes for the second race to make sure no car has an undue advantage whatsoever.
Off the line, both the cars had great launches and were neck and neck. This continued pretty much the same way till the end of the quarter-mile run. The Shelby was ahead in both the races, but not by a very big margin. But, it was the recovery post the U-turn that made the difference. The Mustang’s power was put to the ground much better, and not to mention, it makes more power than the Cadillac.
Not all times were revealed, but the Ford Mustang Shelby GT500 had the best run overall, completing the race in 31.2 seconds at 145.5 mph. In the first run, the Cadillac put down more lateral G’s – 1.07 – but in the second race, it was the Mustang that threw down better 1.11 lateral G in its turn.
Conclusion
This was a fun way to determine a car’s overall performance. As I said earlier, some cars do better from a dig and some better from a roll, but a test like this that combines both of those into one race really shows which car performed better overall. Watch the video below and let us know your thoughts about this format in the comments section.