C8 Takes on Hayabusa Powered Sierra Alpha Racecar in Strangest Pairing Yet
C8 proves once again that it’s a formidable drag racer right out of the box in this strange but cool matchup.
By now, it feels like the C8 Corvette has drag-raced just about every vehicle on the planet. And for good reason, of course – the newest Corvette is rather quick in a straight line, much quicker than it should be given its relatively modest output. But one thing we haven’t seen, until now, is a new Corvette racing a Hayabusa-powered Sierra Alpha racecar, something that was designed to blast up Pikes Peak as quickly as possible. Thanks to the folks at Hoonigan, however, we can check that off our C8 drag racing opponent list.
The motorcycle-powered racer belongs to Lyfe Motorsports, which obviously uses it for that very special, long-running, and iconic event. The Sierra Alpha enjoys a few paper advantages over its rival, including the fact that it weighs a mere 1,350 pounds. The featherweight racer is powered by a turbocharged 1,300cc Hayabus mill that makes anywhere from 320-450 horsepower at the wheels. It also charged up Pikes Peak in less than 10 minutes, which is extremely impressive. The only downside is that its extensive aero starts to slow it down at speeds above 80 mph, so that could be a problem in a drag race.
On the other side, we have a bone stock C8 Corvette equipped with the Z51 package, which means that it produces 495 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. However, this car was so new that the crew had to take it on a long drive to get it over 500 miles and unlock all of that power, which is limited prior to that mark for proper engine break-in.
In the first, 500-foot race, the C8 leaps off the line and maintains a small lead on the Sierra Alpha until right before the finish line, when the racer pulls ahead for the win. Thus, in the next round, the Corvette gets the hit in another 500-foot race, where it finds the race car driver sleeping a bit at the launch and pulls further ahead. Unfortunately, the Sierra Alpha’s clutch is toast at this point, but the team has a spare car in the trailer. With the hit in a 1,000-foot race, the racer maintains its lead to the end, though the Corvette was reeling him in at the top end.
Overall, this showdown is one of the more entertaining and close battles we’ve seen the C8 involved in. And it’s yet another impressive showing for the latest and greatest Corvette, which makes one heck of a good drag racer right out of the box.
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