Tail of the Dragon: Bike vs. Ferrari - Who wins?

I met a guy today that was riding a crotch rocket around town. I noticed a "Tail of the Dragon" sticker on his helmet. I mentioned that I wanted to take my Ferrari out there sometime. He next statement was "Oh, I'll definitely smoke you on this (his bike)". At this time he didn't know what kind of Ferrari I have (328) so I thought his statement was a bit premature.

So what do you think? F430 vs a sport bike on this road. 318 turns in 11 miles. I say the advantage goes to a car is such a curvy environment. Acceleration and top speed are of course in favor of the bike. Low speed corners? I'm thinking give me the F430.

Gene

 

On a tight track a GOOD car has the advantage.

 

While I agree that four wheels will allow for greater traction and thus, speed throughout a corner, any crotch-rocket will be so much faster in the straights that any time you make up in the twisties will be almost negligible.

That is, unless you have a Veyron: http://youtube.com/watch?v=WShY1ObPvhQ

 

Would be cool too see.

 

Depends on the drivers......

 

I would think the car could easily out brake the motorcycle. Giving the car a huge advantage going into the corners.

 

So many variables including the skill of both drivers. Assuming both are competent I would have to give the nod to the bike. I went through Angeles Crest (a very curvy moutain road in Los Angeles) in my Stradale with a crotch rocket on my tail. He was leaning so far over in the corners behind me that he would literally disappear from my rear view mirror. He hung right behind the car and then passed me on the straight. I'm a decent driver but even on my best day I could not have outrun him. A better driver might have been able to keep him behind the car but I don't think it would have been a "blow away" situation either way.

 

I did "Tail of the Dragon" earlier this year on a press trip with Porsche. It would be a tough call the corners are extremely tight. the grip of all four wheels is paramount on this road. there are some sweepers and longish bits but the road is almost all bendy Oh how i love it. It would be a very tough call. I know I had the traction turned off and sporting a manual box in the car so I did some power corrected cornering but you really have to have a BIG SET to do that on every corner. Most of mine were simply getting WAY too hard in and having to do something or it would have been TREE TREE TREE RRRRROOOOOOOCCCCCCKKKK

That road can really tempt you to far exceed your own skills, luck is the only thing that kept me in one piece on one of the sets of left left right decreasing radius left over-hill hairpin right almost got me a good route (ala Rally) guide and a copiloto would be gold

My 2 wheel skill is not to this level. I can handle it on 2 but not to the level I can on 4.

There were a lot of rocket jockeys up there and they were walking away in the long stuff but I was on em in the corners.

 

KILLBOY is famous for his videos:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1905785656757926279&q=killboy.com

Make it past the first 30 seconds of intro, then you have a birds eye view of the entire Dragon's Tail (camera mounted on the front of the MCycle). Don't know what he's riding, but its an AWESOME video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBVIoIQq8HM GSXR and STI front camera, helmet height
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBVIoIQq8HM 2 Mcycles, rear view camera view of 2nd bike.

Not a fan of the music, he used to have the video's loaded with engine sound. He loaded one called "MadPassing" which I DL'd, he makes it in 7 1/2 mins and is driving like a maniac.

As far as bike versus car, I think the car would have the advantage overall, but you'd better know this road. If you go into it blind, I bet the bike would win because they KNOW this road.

PS I just posted about a Ferrari gathering on The Tail of the Dragon.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3260006377844624494

James in Denver
318 curves in 11 miles! ROCK ON!

 

The dragon is infamous for its very curvy nature. I am an avid motorcycle enthusiast and I'd say for sure the cars would win it out due to having 4 wheels for getting better speed around corners. Bikes would lose a lot of ground around each and every corner, only to make up a portion of it on a straight (and being the dragon, there aren't many of those around)

 

On a head-on collision, the car has the advantage,but I hope that will NEVER happen.

 

I have seen some bikes go scary fast thru the dragon. I don't think a car could win. I think the braking on a bike since it is so light would be a lot shorter than a car and the acceleration as well for the same reason. The curves are so tight that a car couldn't really get an advantage in my opinion.

 

I recently drove P 4/5 through the long course of the Targa Florio which is VERY twisty. (79 KMS) being escprted at speed by a Police motorcycle. (BMW) He was a very good driver but I could reel him in and pass at will. P 4/5's ability to pass is absolutely amazing.

 

Napolis no doubt your car is above average by a lot. In the same light the BMW is not the fastest bike or lightest out there. The curves at the Tail are also very tight. I would love to see your car. I missed when it was in Florida and I was at the Breakers. Not to bring up a sore subject.

 

Reminds me of the write-up in R&T or C&D shortly after the 288GTO debutted in which the car was challenged by a Ninja (which I think at the time was one of the world's fastest production bikes); the Ninja beat it off the line to @60-80 (strictly my memory), but then the GTO gained and blew it away the rest of the way!

Would love to re-read the article if someone would post excerpts.

 

Valentino Rossi on his MotoGP vs Schumacher in an F430.

 

All true but the Targa turns are as tight as they come much tighter than any I've seen anywhere in the world including Tail. On the GP course at Siracusa it was even more pronounced. Paulo my friend from PF who was a tire tester for Goodyear for many years drove for a while over there. Horn blasting, tailing wagging, race mode, tire smoking run that I will never forget.

Best

 

I'd have to say the cars would beat the bikes.

When I used to race bikes sometimes we'd go to the track for practice (Grattan Raceway 2.0 miles 12 turns) where they'd split the time between 3 groups Bikes, Sports Cars and Go-karts. Much to my amazement Go-karts turned in the best times cars second and bikes third.

I was shocked because I knew our bikes had the best power: wieigt ratio. But I guess the highest center of gravity.

 

Back in the old days (60s and 70s, when I was a kid) it was said that a sports car always had the edge over a motorcycle in braking. I think that advances in tire technology have pretty much done away with that. The vastly lower mass of a bike would certainly seem to favor it in rapid and tight "left right left" transitions, though it could be true about the center of gravity...

We need Urotrash to weigh in on this one. He frequents the Tail on his motorcycle.

 

DG is something else!

I was supposed to make the trip out there next month with some friends, but a work obligation popped up.

My buddies bring their bikes out there once a year... Good Times.

 

+1. The car can brake so much latter into the corner, and put more power down coming out of the corner it may be to much for the bike to over come.

 

Given equal skill, comparable tires, the car ought to win. However, a good many people with sport bikes are better than those with decent cars. The average Ferrari driver doesn't have comparable skill to the average sport bike rider.

The cars are quicker, but the determinative factor is the skill of the pilot, and frankly, I'd give that almost every time to the biker. An example: when I was running the production class in the 70s, I ran about 1:55s at Sears Point, while the A production cars were going about 2:05s or so. Quite a bit quicker, but the tires might have made a difference, we ran goodyear slicks, they had treaded tires.

Art

 

At the Barber race track(which is a drivers track), the fastest bike can do a lap time of 1 min. 24 sec., while a car has the lap record of 1 min. 6 sec.

 

You guys are comparing track times to tail of the dragon which is an open public road. Assuming bike and car start at the same time, the very first car that you encounter the bike will pass with no problem, while the car will be stuck behind the other car. Besides, a bike is much quicker than a F430. Personally, I'd take the bike.

 

+1