Let this insane three-way battle between the #8 Audi, #17 Porsche and #7 Audi LMP1-class World Endurance Championship prototypes illustrate all the fun nuances of hybrid race cars. Running out of the added electric power must hit you like a brick when you’re in the middle of a battle like this.
Complicating matters further is the fact that the Porsche has more electric boost than the Audis. Audi runs a 4MJ system, and Porsche runs an 8MJ, allowing it to rocket up to speed faster than the Audis, even if the top speeds for both cars are very similar.
The result? Crazy neck-and-neck battles where cars dart ahead and fall behind, thanks in part to the electric power they’ve built up and their systems for doing so.
Whoever said hybrids can’t be fun clearly isn’t paying attention to racing.
Contact the author at stef.schrader@jalopnik.com.