Audi is in the horsepower wars again, and their RS7 Performance is pushing 605 horsepower under the hood which brings it to a claimed 60mph in 3.3 seconds. But to put it to the test, Jason Connor of Hooniverse took the RS7 to Shift Sector’s Airstrip Attack in Coalinga, CA.

Airstrip Attack is a two-day event on a half-mile airstrip that allows cars to race side-by-side and compete for the highest trap speed. Most of the cars there are highly modified, ranging from supercharged Mustangs and Corvettes to Quad-turbo Lamborghini Gallardos and tuned McLaren 650s.

Jason’s first run was against a Supercharged E46 M3, and it had no chance off the line. Then a purple Dodge Challenger Hellcat tried to out run the RS7 and although it came close, it couldn’t manage to beat it. An F10 BMW M5, very similar to Club Sportiva’s, looked slower than a Prius in comparison. With the first day of racing coming to a close, Jason managed to trap just over 146 miles per hour.

On the next day of racing, Jason used the launch control system and increased trap by 4mph to over 150mph in the half-mile!

The Performance variant of the RS7 has 45 horsepower over the standard RS7. That’s created from the 4.0L twin-turbo V8 that has new turbines in the turbos, different camshafts, new radiators and an ECU tune. Torque measures at a wild 553lb⋅ft.

One of the racers at Shift Sector had 580 wheel horsepower from his tuned Audi S6 (with full exhaust and an ECU tune), and raced the stock RS7. That S6 stood no chance on the launch.

Only two cars that the RS7 competed against beat it. A Nissan GT-R, and an 800 horsepower Porsche 911 Turbo.

Beating a Ferrari 458 Italia in a half-mile race by 3 miles an hour is no easy feat, and the Audi RS7 being able to do it as a large sports sedan is very impressive. That all-wheel-drive launch really gives the Audi an edge.

Read more from Road and Track.