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The Ultimate Race: F1 car vs Rally car vs Drift car vs Pro4 Truck

Leveling the strengths of race cars with a custom track

By Bruce Brown Oct 7, 2024 11:07 AM

Four-car showdown - four mixed-type Red Bull race vehicles — Chris Tedesco / Red Bull Content Pool

F1 is the elite motorsport, but does that mean F1 race cars are the fastest overall? Red Bull raced four race vehicle types with pro drivers, including an F1 race car, a drift car, a rally car, and a Pro4 truck. To keep it fair, Red Bull also built a custom hybrid track near Houston, Texas, letting each vehicle use its best capabilities.

The competitors

The four drivers survey their qualifying lines with host Emelia Hartford. — Chris Tedesco / Red Bull Content Pool

F1 veteran Patrick Friesacher drove the championship-winning RB7 Formula 1 car. Andrew Carlson showcased his Pro4 off-road truck, designed for short-course racing dominance. Rallycross expert Scott Speed joined in with his Subaru, bringing experience from multiple series. Drift superstar Mad Mike Whiddett added some flair with his custom-built “MADMAC” MacLaren hypercar.

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The four drivers competed on the same track but used different sections on and off the pavement depending on the vehicles’ strengths. The 750 hp F1 car stayed on the track, traveling at the highest speeds around corners thanks to huge downforce. The 600 hp rallycross race car was the fastest in acceleration on and off-road. The 950 hp Pro4 truck was airborne over jumps and deep in the off-road mud, and the 1000 hp MADMAC smoked tires while it drifted around corners.

The qualifying lap and the race

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The MADMAC is the ultimate vehicle for sliding in style. — A1 Arena / Red Bull Content Pool

The rallycross car sets the pace off the line, and navigates tight corners. — A1 Arena / Red Bull Content Pool

The Pro4 truck’s suspension allows it to tit dirt jumps. — Chris Tedesco / Red Bull Content Pool

Patrick Friesacher pilots the RB7 Formula 1 car. — Chris Tedesco / Red Bull Content Pool

Each of the four racers had a qualifying lap running its own race line on and off the paved track to ensure comparable times and a fair race. The qualifying times were close, varying by just 1.17 seconds. Watch the video below to see the qualifying runs and which competitor won the Ultimate Race.

F1 vs Rally vs Drift vs Truck: Ultimate Race

Bruce Brown Contributing Editor As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce… Read Full Bio

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