There’s nothing quite like a good drag race to get the blood pumping, is there? In this matchup, we have a 2021 Red Bull KTM RC16 MotoGP bike versus a Porsche 918 Spyder. Since who’s at the controls also makes a difference, it’s worth noting that the bike is piloted by none other than Dani Pedrosa, versus the 918 Spyder’s owner, Paul, as well as CarWow YouTube channel presenter Mat.
How badly does the RC16 beat the 918 Spyder, you may be wondering? There are points in the quarter-mile run where they’re neck-and-neck, but it only lasts for a moment. Time is malleable in videos, so it’s not clear how quickly that circumstance changes—only that it does.
After multiple runs, Dani Pedrosa and the RC16 managed a 9.5-second quarter-mile time. The 918 Spyder, meanwhile, did it in 10.1 seconds. While we do know that Paul owns the 918 Spyder, there’s no information given on any performance driving training he may have had. Mat is an automotive journalist and enthusiast, which makes it extremely lucky that this is his job. Overall, it appears that Pedrosa has a pretty unfair advantage in terms of who’s piloting which vehicle.
That said, the 918 Spyder does manage to eke out a victory over the RC16 MotoGP bike in one respect: Stopping power. The faster you go and the more powerful you are, the better your brakes have to be at helping you stop on as close to a dime as you possibly can. If you can’t trust your brakes, you’re probably less likely to go fast—unless, of course, you’re on a Speedway bike and there are no brakes.
There’s also something to be said for power-to-weight ratios—and the fact that Dani Pedrosa was well-known for being one of the smallest, lightest riders in the field during his tenure in MotoGP. Meanwhile, the 918 Spyder is carting around two adult male humans with all limbs intact, and both of whom are likely bigger humans than Pedrosa, in terms of physical stature.
Although we aren’t given measurement specifics, the 918 Spyder does manage to come to a complete stop more quickly than the RC16 does. That’s definitely something to help the car guys lick their wounds a little after getting completely annihilated by the RC16 on the quarter-mile track.
