Launch control is one of the coolest recent technologies in the automotive realm. Push a button, follow a procedure, and you’ll be rewarded with the best acceleration that a computer can be programmed to achieve. It’s simple, and it works.
That said, a computer can sometimes be beaten by a skilled driver. In the video below, Car and Driver outlines the proper way to activate and use launch control in a 2014 SRT Viper, resulting in a 4.2-second run to 60 miles per hour and a quarter-mile time of 12.1 seconds at 125 mph. Not bad. But it can be improved. Drastically.
Follow along as the crew from C/D explains the finer points of a proper drag-race launch, and find out just how much time launch control leaves on the table by watching the video below.