It’s always reassuring when you can keep up with someone you know you have no business hanging with. As we see here, Cory Friedman—a man with twenty years of professional racing experience—drives the tires off of his 2007 Porsche RSR to keep in touch with a current Flying Lizard Porsche GT3 R.

Though a decade old, Friedman’s RSR is regularly used with success at Porsche Club of America events, regularly outrunning machinery with far more power. With an intake restrictor, the 3.8-liter engine makes something between 465-485 horsepower, and with a flat torque curve and a sequential gearbox, the 997 RSR is exceptionally quick after the apex. It’s a sorted machine with good torque, strong traction, poise and composure over the curbs, and stability at speed. Though, it’s not quite as strong as its successor—the GT3 R.

Raced by one of the best-respected racing outfits in North America, the red and white GT3 R has the edge in mechanical grip, acceleration, and aerodynamic balance. Not only does the 4.0-liter engine produce 500 horsepower, but its drive off the corner suggests it makes the brunt of its grunt in the mid-range; Friedman struggles to match the GT3 R at the exit of Watkin Glen’s slower corners, even when his better-equipped rival botches the corner entry and he can open the throttle yards earlier (1:27).

The GT3 R seems to have an aero advantage as well; the car looks neater and more composed in the quicker stuff, and also has the advantage of being paddle-shifted, so its driver doesn’t need to take their hand off the wheel to shift in the middle of quick corners. In these sections, Friedman has to nurse the front axle and loses some ground.

Based on the lines generally taken, it’s fair to assume Friedman enjoys a driver advantage. He’s neater and keeps the platform stable more of the time, though his rival is no slouch. It’s tough to say how much of that difference in performance can be attributed to the driver, but it’s obvious Friedman’s doing something right if he can consistently nip at the heels of a much quicker machine.