The team over at Hoonigan have been working on a series for their YouTube channel called “Hoonicorn Vs The World”. They have taken a seriously talented driver named Ken Block and his fire-breathing ’65 Mustang in a drag race setting and put the duo up against everything they can imagine.

The battle was up against a 789-horsepower McLaren Senna Merlin. Although the McLaren was a fast car, it wasn’t enough to keep up with the 1,400-horsepower Mustang. Up next, 900-horsepower all-wheel-drive Trophy Truck. Yes, this truck is making quite a bit more power than the McLaren but it also weighs in at over 6,850-pounds. As you can imagine, even though it pulled a cool one wheel wheelie, the trophy truck was outgunned.

Although it doesn’t look as racy as the Mustang, the McLaren still has an intimidating look.

Moving on, the next episode was versus the world’s fastest “Donk”. This particular Donk was a 1971 Chevrolet Impala coined “Donkmaster Z06”. Churning out over 1,500-horsepower, the Donk was making more power than the Hoonicorn. Unfortunately, the car weighs 5,000-pounds and has about an inch of tire underneath it making traction a constant battle. The Hoonicorn wins again.

In came a turbocharged, 2018 Audi RS 3 that has been highly modified. This Audi is making 1,100-horsepower and weighs only 3,000-pounds, which is within two pounds of the Hoonicorn. With all-wheel-drive, plenty of horsepower, and a quick-shifting 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, the Hoonicorn may have found its match.

In a best 2 out of 3 matchup, the Audi managed to win one race. It wasn’t enough to take the overall win, but the Hoonicorn was sweating that day. That brings us to their next battle for the Mustang. Scott Birdsall’s “Ol’ Smokey F1”. Birdsall’s Ford F100 is built for Pikes Peak and as a matter of fact, he recently broke the diesel record at Pike’s Peak for the quickest lap up the mountain.

Each of these builds features Toyo Tires for their racing too. Both Ken Block and Scott Birdsall trust the compounds Toyo uses in their tires and represent them proudly.

Personally, I love Birdsall’s truck and think that it is a great candidate to prove that even diesels can compete in wild motorsport events like Pike’s Peak. However, even though this is one rad looking machine, it was outgunned from the start. Weighing 1,600-pounds or more than the Hoonicorn, being only two-wheel-drive, and lacking 400-horsepower over the ‘Stang, I wasn’t very optimistic.

“I am going to eat so much Gapplesauce today,” Birdsall said in his Hoonigan interview. He knew he was outgunned but damn this was going to be cool to watch. Ol Smokey is propelled by a compound turboed, 6.7-Liter Cummins engine built by Freedom Racing Engines, the fuel is supplied by a FASS Fuel Systems lift pump, Dynomite Diesel fuel injectors, and all backed by a ATS Diesel-built 47RE transmission.

After a nasty crash at Pikes Peak a few years ago, Birdsall has brought Ol Smokey back to life and with even better parts on board.

“This transmission has been modified to shift sequentially unlike its prior settings. Out of a late 90’s Dodge truck, this transmission is ready to handle the power we’re making.” So, as the Hoonigan crew discussed both vehicle’s modifications, it was nearing race time. Round 1 was a heads up race to see where each vehicle stands.

At no surprise, Block’s Mustang was at least a few bus lengths ahead of Birdsall at the finish line. Coming back for round 2, they gave Birdsall two car lengths and the move. This made no sense to me considering the gap between the two in the first race, but this is their show. Once again, in a matter of a few seconds, the Hoonicorn was out in front and pulled away for the show-closing best 2-out-3 win.

Although their “race” was complete, they did another race for fun that may have evened out the odds. This time with a 60-mph roll, Ol’ Smokey was in its powerband and could possibly apply all of that torque and horsepower to the ground. Unfortunately, there just wasn’t enough power there to beat Block to the finish. The roll made it a lot closer, but since the truck is on it’s Pike’s Peak settings, it just didn’t have enough juice to keep up.

For more action on Hoonicorn Vs. The World, be sure and check out Hoonigan’s YouTube Channel. I think it was cool to see Scott’s rig battling it out with such a fast car. I think he should retune the truck for maximum power and try that roll race once again. Who know’s what could happen. For more diesel news, stay tuned right here at Diesel Army.

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