The track conditions can have a huge effect on a drag race, and a new video from Motoring in Australia highlights this fact. The clip challenges a BMW M3 Competition against an Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio on a cold, misty day.
This M3 Competition packs a 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline-six that makes 503 bhp and 479 lb-ft. In comparison, the Giulia Quadrifoglio has a twin-turbo 2.9-litre V6 that also has 503 bhp and 443 lb-ft. The Alfa has a weight advantage of 1,585 kilograms, versus 1,705 kilograms for the BMW.
Gallery: 2021 BMW M3 Competition: Review
Rain is drizzling down, and it makes the track very slick. The conditions are so bad that the Alfa Romeo driver has to abandon the first run because the tyres are spinning so much. He stops to warm up the tyres.
Things are a little better in the BMW but not much. The driver acts like he's barely hanging on.
The second attempt is a bit more successful. The end results are the same, though. The Giulia Quadrifoglio still struggles with traction, and the M3 wins while being a handful to control.
The M3 Competition is fast:
The final run has both vehicles in their standard driving modes like they would be at a stoplight. The Alfa Romeo is a better challenger here, but yet again, the Italian saloon can't keep up with its German rival.
The numbers at the end also tell the story of the poor conditions. The BMW's fastest acceleration to 62 miles per hour is 4.8 seconds, which is about a second slower than it should be. The Giulia Quadrifoglio is even worse with a time of 5.5 seconds, versus a factory estimate of 3.8 seconds.
Source: Motor via YouTube