Aaron Brzozowski
There’s a very simple reason that you don’t often see front-wheel-drive cars at the dragstrip: traction. Weight shifts rearward under acceleration, so that the average FWD car has a far more difficult time maintaining sufficient load on the driven wheels during hard acceleration than a comparable rear-wheel-drive car.
Thankfully, that doesn’t stop some folks from trying.
A recent piece from 1320Video looks at the owner of a modified 2015 Ford Fiesta ST who gets his kicks by pwning unexpecting drivers at the dragstrip. The Fiesta ST features a Dead Hook Motorsports GTX2863R turbo kit and a TiAL external wastegate, good for “anywhere from 360 to 380 horse, sometimes a little bit more,” the owner says. He admits that traction is a problem, but says the car’s relative lightness is a helpful asset.
In the video, this plucky little Fiesta ST squares off against a Toyota Celica GT4, Infiniti G35, Subaru BRZ, Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X, Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, and more. Check it out.
